Braves pick Cam Caminiti with first-round selection in MLB draft

SAN DIEGO – Cam Caminiti never got to meet his cousin, Ken Caminiti, who was a former MVP and played for the Braves during his career. Unfortunately, Ken died in 2004.

But on Sunday in Arlington, Texas, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred went up to the podium and said the Caminiti name when announcing that the Braves had drafted Cam with the 24th overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft.

“I’m super excited, because he played his last year with the Atlanta Braves, and I wear number 11 for Ken,” Cam said. “I’m excited to continue the legacy of the Caminiti last name.”

Cam Caminiti is a left-handed pitcher with Saguaro (Arizona) High. During his senior season, the 17-year-old went 9-0 with a 0.93 ERA and 119 strikeouts across 52-2/3 innings. Caminiti, who is 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, was the Gatorade Player of the Year for Arizona high school baseball.

The Braves have selected pitchers in the first round in each of the last five drafts. This time, they were the first team to select a high school arm. That’s how highly they thought of Caminiti, who is committed to LSU.

And his reaction to hearing his name called?

“I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a little kid,” he said. “It’s incredible. I was at a loss for words. I was just tearing up. Super emotional.”

Caminiti said he believes he’ll sign fairly quickly. He might be an over-slot signing for Atlanta – the slot value for the 24th pick is $3,556,300 – because he seemed to have the measurables and pedigree to be taken higher. MLB Pipeline ranked him the No. 15 prospect in this year’s draft class, which made him the top-ranked prep arm.

The Braves selected left-handed pitcher Carter Holton, out of Vanderbilt, with their second-pick, No. 62 overall, Sunday night.

Ronit Shah, the Braves’ director of amateur scouting, said Caminiti’s fastball will sit mid-90s throughout an outing. (MLB Pipeline said it can touch 98 mph.) Shah said Caminiti would often reach back and hit 96-97 mph in the sixth inning of high school games.

“I think the part that stands out most to me though, with him, is how easily he does it, especially from the left side,” Shah said.

Caminiti has done a lot of work to improve his off-speed pitches – a slider, curveball and changeup. He said he feels most comfortable with his slider and can throw it in any count.

He’s taken steps over the last year.

“I think he grew a lot,” Shah said. “Absolutely. I think we’ve been there from start the finish, the whole year, and he definitely made a big jump. Each start, you could just see he was getting better and better. I think just control and command, and also the stuff, just holding it deeper into games.”

An important part of his development: Pilates. He’s been doing it for a year and a half. His chiropractor recommended it. Since he started doing pilates, he’s noticed strength and flexibility improvements.

“Everything’s just a lot more fluid,” Caminiti said.

Caminiti, who is from Scottsdale, Arizona, was named a First Team All-American by both Baseball America and the American Baseball Coaches Association after his senior year. The Braves’ might’ve gotten the top high school pitcher in the class.

Caminiti said he’s modeled his game after two left-handed pitchers: Madison Bumgarner in his prime with the Giants, and more recently, the Phillies’ Ranger Suárez.

Of Bumgarner, he said: “I just like his killer instinct on the mound. He wants you to be scared of him and he goes out there and dominates every single time.”

And of Suárez, he said: “I know that it’s a little bit of a rivalry with the Braves, but I like how calm and collected he is on the mound, so that’s another guy I model my game after.”

Caminiti said people often see his last name and wonder about his relation to Ken. Son? Nephew? Cam said they always get it wrong. They’re cousins.

At a Padres spring training game one time, Cam sat next to a bunch of people who knew about Ken Caminiti. Eventually, Cam introduced himself and told them about his relation to Ken.

He knows about the type of player his cousin was, too.

“It’s awesome,” Cam said. “He played as hard as he possibly could every pitch of every game.”

When preparing for the draft, the Braves discuss every scenario. Who could fall? Who might be taken where? They have a specific process. They always want to know what might happen.

“You try to make sure there’s no possible surprise,” Shah said.

You never know what might happen.

This time, Caminiti fell to the Braves, who will add him to a system full of pitching prospects. Caminiti, who came off as mature when he addressed reporters, will join the organization and begin working.

When they scouted him, the Braves found he would have no problem doing that.

“We learned that he’s incredibly hardworking, super athletic and just really, really treats this already, at the age of 17, as a professional job – which it definitely is,” Shah said.

Credit: AP

The MLB draft continues Monday, with rounds 3-10, and Tuesday, with rounds 11-20.

Local connections

In local players drafted, James Tibbs III, an outfielder from Florida State and Pope High School, was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the No. 13 pick.

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