Detroit Tigers: Top 20 prospects going into the 2020 season

Daz Cameron, OF, Triple-A in 2019

In 2017, another piece of the Detroit Tigers trade with the Astros for Verlander showed up to the organization. Son of former big league outfielder Mike Cameron, Daz Cameron, has been with the organization since the Verlander trade making his way through the minor leagues. Cameron was a 2015 first-round draft pick out of high school who has taken some time to progress through the minors.

Cameron stands 6-foot-2, weighing in at 195-pounds as an outfielder who will excel as a centerfielder for the foreseen future. With Houston, Cameron struggled to get out of rookie ball and Single-A levels, but with the Tigers, he has worked his way up to Triple-A Toledo with the Mud Hens. He would spend all of 2019 with Triple-A Toledo, playing in 120 games on the season.

In 2019, Cameron would hit .214/.330/.377 with thirteen home runs, forty-three RBI, and steal seventeen bases on twenty-five total attempts. Speed is a plus-tool for Cameron but is something he needs to be more efficient at, evident with the stolen base numbers. The issue with his statistics lies in the strikeout column, getting himself punched out 152 times during the 2019 season.

In the batter’s box, Cameron has an open stance, using his leg kick to generate power, which leads scouts to believe that he projects as a future fifteen to twenty home run outfielder. His power is to all parts of the field, which allows him to excel in the batter’s box, not being limited as a pole hitter. Overall, Cameron is one of those players who is a pure athlete on the diamond according to multiple scouting reports on him.

Cameron’s ability as an “athlete” allows him to play all three outfield positions, but centerfield is his home for the time being. His arm strength also helps him be useful from all three spots in the outfield, but his speed and quickness have landed him in centerfield to track down balls. Again the issue with his speed comes on the basepaths with Cameron’s somewhat inefficiency on base stealing.

MLB Expectation: With Cameron’s ability to hit for power and speed, he projects as future big-league centerfielder who may be best suited for the corner outfield positions if the Detroit Tigers value his arm strength more. On the basepaths, he has the opportunity to be a running threat, hopefully cleaning up his efficiency with that. The only drawback with Cameron is his plate discipline; with so many strikeouts, Cameron needs to be more selective at the plate, swinging at good pitches rather than chasing.