Have a debut, Noah Cameron!
Noah Cameron fits right in as he holds the Rays hitless and scoreless over 6.1 innings in his major league debut.
Noah Cameron announced his big league arrival with just a single pitch. It was an elevated four-seam fastball at 92 mph that the first batter of the game for Cameron, Changler Simpson, bunted for a foul out to first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino.
If the lefty had any butterflies as he was making his debut, that bunt attempt probably calmed him down a bit. From there, it took Cameron just four more pitches to finish off the Rays in the first.
The St. Joseph lefty was efficient and tidy in his major league debut, going 6.1 innings, holding the Rays without a base hit on the night until the final batter he faced laced a single down the left field line. He struck out three and walked five. Most importantly, he kept the Rays off the scoreboard and picked up the victory in a 3-0 Royals win.
That’s one helluva major league debut.
Cameron mixed four pitches, relying on his four-seamer and slider almost 60 percent of the time. He complemented those two pitches with a change and a curve. (Baseball Savant classified several pitches as a cutter during the game, but I don’t think those were truly cutters.) Cameron didn’t get a ton of swing and miss…he got the highest percentage of whiffs on the slider, but he was effective enough. On the day his CSW% (Called Strikes plus Whiffs) was just 22 percent and Rays hitters chased on just 11 pitches out of the zone. So Cameron wasn’t exactly fooling hitters, but he did just enough to keep the Rays off balance. I mean, he held them without a hit through six-plus innings.
When I saw the starting lineup and, specifically, the defensive alignment, I figured manager Matt Quatraro was putting the strongest defense on the field behind his rookie starter. Indeed, Cameron was helped out by his defense. In the first inning, Yandy Díaz launched one 326 feet. He needed a couple more feet.
Yes, that’s Hunter Renfroe going back against the wall to make the catch. I don’t think he saved a home run but it was still a solid defensive play.
Cameron walked a couple of batters with one out in the second, but got a ground ball at 105 mph hit to the left of third baseman Maikel Garcia, who fielded it cleanly and started a quick and tidy 5-4-3 double play.
Then this was the first out of the third inning.
My goodness. José Caballero has 84th percentile sprint speed according to Statcast. He’s a burner. For Witt to make that stop is impressive enough. But to get to his feet and fire a throw to get Caballero out is all kinds of insane.
Cameron’s calling card—and what’s been his biggest asset as he’s moved up the organizational ladder—has been his command. He walked 2.9 batters per nine in 2023 as he split time between High-A and Double-A. Last year, he cut his walk rate to 2.5 BB/9 between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha. Baseball America called Cameron a “finesse lefthander.”
He’s kept that depressed walk rate while posting a strikeout rate a little above 10 K/9. Here’s more from his scouting report at BA:
Cameron excels because of the deceptive life on the four-seamer and its good vertical carry, helping to compensate for lower velocity…Cameron’s best secondary pitch is a plus low-80s changeup with good vertical separation off his fastball. It’s a deceptive pitch with big tumble, depth and command. Cameron has good feel for an above-average 78-83 mph curveball with 11-to-5 shape and tight break that he throws for strikes and tunnels well with the fastball…Cameron gets swings and misses from both his changeup and curve, and he’s a savvy hurler who mixes his pitches well.
Cameron finished with five walks on the night. I mentioned those two in the second inning. This was his sequence and location against Danny Jansen.
Those are some crazy close pitches that were called balls, and I love the sequencing and locations.
Cameron was a little looser with his location in the fifth and sixth innings when he walked a couple more batters. Understandable, though. He was probably battling a bit of fatigue as the adrenaline of making his first major league start was probably wearing off a bit.
I wouldn’t say Cameron was dominant. I would say put on a bit of a pitch to contact clinic. That’s not always going to work and it’s not normally how Cameron will operate. For his debut, though, with the defense behind him, it was exceptional.
One of my favorite things about watching a major league debut is seeing the friends and family in the stands during the game. The Cameron clan did not disappoint. You could feel the emotion coming from his father, Tracy, while being interviewed by Joel Goldberg. He was proud, but I think a little anxious for it to be over, if that makes sense. The nerves were firing on overdrive. You wouldn’t expect anything less.
Of course, the fact that Cameron is from St. Joseph and the family is stacked with Royals fans added something a little extra special to the debut. Can you imagine playing for the team you grew up watching? Fairytale stuff.
Getting those interviews during the game is a nice reminder that behind every major leaguer is generally a strong support group. I’m happy for Cameron and his family. What a special night.
It was another night on the offensive struggle bus for these Royals, but wouldn’t you know it, that guy Witt was pivotal in both run-scoring innings. In the top of the first he singled to the opposite field to extend his current hitting streak to 21 games. He scored one pitch later when Vinnie Pasquantino launched his fourth home run of the year.
In the fifth, Witt again went the opposite way for another single, this one scoring Cavan Biggio from second for the Royals’ third and final run of the game.
It was another game where the Royals had myriad opportunities to tack on another run or two at various times. The sixth inning in particular was a frame of frustration as they couldn’t score despite having runners on second and third and nobody out. Overall, they went 1-8 with runners in scoring position.
Thank god they have Bobby Witt Jr.
Wednesday was the Royals’ 31st game of the season. They’ve scored three runs or fewer in 19 of those games. They’ve scored more than four runs in a game just four times. They are averaging 3.1 runs per game, which is the worst run-scoring rate in the major leagues. This team is allergic to home plate. Yet they are 16-15 on the season.
Their last four victories are by the following scorelines:
2-0
2-0
3-1
3-0
My gut tells me this is no way to try to get through 162 games. Yet I can’t help but to be intrigued.
I’ve spent the first two games of this road trip catching the live action on the radio. I’m a huge fan of Jake Eisenberg and how he calls the game. His descriptions of the action are thorough and paint a wonderful picture of what’s happening in the stadium. I especially wanted to note his comment from Tuesday when Freddy Fermin was hit on the hand by a pitch while attempting to bunt: “He basically punched a four-seam fastball.” That’s fantastic.
To add Cameron to the 26-man roster, the Royals optioned Jonathan Bowlan back to Triple-A. Bowlan appeared in just one game in his cup of coffee, where he mopped up the final two innings of the loss to the Astros on Sunday. The team also reinstated Tyler Tolbert from the bereavement list and optioned Nick Loftin to Omaha. Loftin was up for just a couple of days and didn’t get on the field.
I would imagine Cameron will be optioned back to Omaha straight away so the Royals can bring back another reliever. With 16 games in this stretch, they really cannot afford to be short an arm in the bullpen. It’s a bummer that Cameron’s stay looks to be so short, but that’s the way the game is managed these days. He’ll get another look at some point this year.
In other potential roster news, the Royals announced that they anticipate Kyle Wright will begin a rehab assignment in Northwest Arkansas on Friday. A rehab assignment for a pitcher can last up to 30 days, so the earliest we could see Wright in Kansas City would be after the first of June.
The wrinkle in the timetable is that Wright still has an option remaining. The Royals don’t have to bring him to the majors after his rehab assignment is completed. He could be optioned to Triple-A if the club feels as though he needs more work. Although I’m inclined to think that if they’re starting that clock, the anticipation is that he will be ready to go in June.
Noah's arc is so much fun: from fan to 1-hit debut for his favorite team. Can't stop smiling.
Seems to me this team has a dynamic pitching staff overall that just seems to be in it's prime right
now and getting better (barring injuries), so a trade should be imminent, no?
Kept getting a Bud Black/Charlie Liebrandt vibe off Noah.
BWJ. Running out of words to describe his greatness. Get that man some help. NOW.
Also love Jake at the mike; love Ryan, especially with Hud, but Jake revs me up with his enthusiasm.
Blown opportunity with Waters and Renfroe K-ing just codified this team: terrific pitching and p--- poor hitting. Always tight, worry-making games. This is no baseball for old men.
I'm not a St. Jo native, but I grew up near it on the KS side— it was our go-to for movies and shopping when I was a kid, and I actually lived there for a few years later in life. I tell you this not because I think it provides a special connection between me and Cameron, but it is notable because it's one of the few times I've felt perfectly at ease and not self-conscious about revealing my St. Jo connections, so that is an extraordinary achievement in it's own right.
If any real St. Jo people read this, I'm mostly kidding for comedic purposes— regardless of how weak the final comedic results are, and I'm willing to admit it's not my A material. So I'll just drop it and leave it at this— I was really excited to see Cameron's debut and he did his hometown and the whole area proud. I don't know what his role will be over the course of this year and beyond, but I hope we're talking about him in the same positive light for years to come.