It’s not as though the Kansas City Royals didn’t have high hopes for rookie starting pitcher Noah Cameron, but they still have to be overjoyed with how quickly he’s matured.
Coming into the season, Cameron was nowhere near the conversation to join the Royals’ rotation. But he got his shot when Cole Ragans suffered a minor injury, and flirted with a no-hitter in his very first big-league start. And though he was briefly optioned to the minors thereafter, Cameron has pretty much kept that train rolling from start to finish.
Now 16 starts into his major league career, Cameron is no longer a prospect. But he might be turning into something better — a Rookie of the Year candidate.
There’s one major obstacle standing in Cameron’s way: Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz. The young slugger hasn’t just been a top rookie — he’s been one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball for 81 games. If he stays healthy the rest of the way, the award is all but his.
With that said, Cameron ranks second among all rookies in bWAR with 3.2 to Kurtz’s 3.8. If he puts together a strong last month and a half, he’s at least going to get some serious consideration from voters.
That was reflected in MLB.com’s recent Rookie of the Year poll — though not as much as it perhaps should have been. Cameron placed fourth among American League rookies, behind Kurtz, Athletics teammate Jacob Wilson, and Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony.
“With another strong outing last weekend, Cameron lowered his season ERA to 2.52 and continues to impress for Kansas City.,” wrote MLB.com’s Manny Randwaha.
“The left-hander began his big league career in historic fashion, turning in five consecutive outings of at least six innings with one or fewer runs given up — that made him the second pitcher since at least 1901 with five such starts to open his MLB career, joining Fernando Valenzuela (1981). If he continues on his current track, he will definitely get some serious Rookie of the Year consideration.”
On name value, Wilson and Anthony might have Cameron beat. The first was an All-Star this year; the second a former No. 1 overall prospect who has been raking and recently signed a lucrative extension. But Cameron has provided the most overall value since the start of the season.
So although Cameron might still come up short in his bid to win the hardware, it’s definitely time for the larger baseball community to start giving him his props.
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