In keeping with the theme of reviewing the top five in the SI.com mock draft released last week, the fifth prospect is Dazmon “Daz” Cameron, a high school outfielder out of Georgia. Sitting at 6’0″ and 185 pounds, he looks an awful lot like another Georgia outfielder drafted a few years ago. That player is Byron Buxton.
Cameron is the son of former 17-year major league veteran Mike Cameron. I know I have used the word fluid a lot this week, and rightfully so as you would hope the top talent in any draft is fluid. But like Dansby Swanson, Cameron is more fluid than your average prospect. He just looks the part of a future major league center fielder. He has wonderful jumps on most balls in play and he gets to balls you really don’t believe he could. Maybe that is a function of being around big leaguers his entire life, but you have to love the game to treat the game like he does – with respect.
In the field, he shows speed, reaction, and more than enough arm (which would only get better with more strength training) to stay at center field. In fact, my opinion is that, even if he doesn;t show enough bat, he could very well become on of the best defensive center fielders in the game. I think of Denard Span when I look at Cameron, someone who may not put of big power numbers, but who can defensively change the game and will be a fierce base runner.
With that said, he does show a good eye for his level of play with solid line drive power. He is a good hitter in his own right. I am not so certain that he’ll ever develop power like the Andrew McCutchens and Mike Trouts of the world, but those guys, in any re-draft, don’t slide to where they were actually picked (11th and 25th, respectively).
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There is also another thing to take into consideration here: Scott Boras. With Boras as his advisor, there are rumblings that Cameron is already demanding ridiculous money for wherever he gets picked. I’m not one of those guys who thinks Boras is bad for baseball, quite the contrary, I think he is great for baseball. This idea that 1000 players in the majors shouldn’t make the same as the 30 owners is ridiculous. The owners don’t make the money they make if it weren’t for the players. With that said, there is one constant in baseball, if Boras is involved with a player, that player will get “overpaid”. By overpaid, I mean in relative terms to that players nearest comparable peers.
The Diamondbacks are not the Yankees, nor are they the Dodgers. They don’t spend huge sums of money on unknowns. Yasmany Tomas was their big spending unknown this year, and that wasn’t an albatross of a contract (in comparison). So, I find it hard to swallow Cameron going first overall. The Diamondbacks are slotted around $8 million with that pick. It would be expected that Cameron and Boras would ask for more than $10 million. The Diamondbacks won’t do that. So, I could see Cameron in the #2 slot, or as late as the end of the first round; all as a result of money rumors.
I think it is important to note also that he is committed to Florida State, just as Brendan Rodgers is. Boras does not have a history of advising against signing a contract as a high school draftee, but if Cameron drops too far, it is very possible he makes the personally decision to go to college ball (if he believes in his talent like I believe he does based on the way he plays).
Don’t forget to check the rest of our Diamondbacks and MLB draft coverage from the Venom Strikes team! See you tomorrow with another 1st pick hopeful.