Is this budding star the future of the KC Royals' starting rotation?

Moving Jac Caglianone out of the spotlight has proven all but impossible for any Kansas City Royals prospect since the club grabbed him in the first round of last summer's amateur draft. He is, after all, the Royals' No. 1 prospect, a red-hot phenom who's oh-so-close to the majors after bashing five home runs in his first six Triple-A games last week. Peyton Wilson managed to challenge Caglianone for headlines earlier this season, but that didn't last long.

But while everyone's singular, laser-like focus on Caglianone won't change anytime soon, one Kansas City prospect is attracting more and more attention, and doing it at the game's highest level. Because he's appeared in only three major league games, it's too early to remove his "prospect" tag, but Noah Cameron's spectacular pitching is making fans sit up and take notice.

And rightfully so. The 25-year-old rookie left-hander has been stingy so far — his startlingly good 0.91 ERA and 445 ERA+ are the products of the measly two runs he's surrendered in the 19.1 innings he's worked across three starts. Only teammate Kris Bubic, whose 1.45 ERA was the majors' second-best entering Memorial Day action, boasts a better KC mark. And Cameron's 0.672 WHIP and .108 OBA add to the intrigue.

It's not surprising, then, that Cameron is capturing so much attention. Is it fair, though, to say he's the future of Kansas City's starting rotation?

KC Royals starter Noah Cameron has been great, but don't rush him to the head of the class

Cameron's early big league performances and numbers speak for themselves. He did exactly what the Royals hoped he would, and probably more, when they called him up from Triple-A Omaha when a groin issue forced Cole Ragans to skip his April 30 start against Tampa Bay. (Ragans was later forced onto the Injured List, where he remains today). Starting against the Rays in his major league debut, Cameron held them scoreless and to only one hit. He left with one out in the seventh, but by the end of the night had his first big league win.

He could have, and probably should have, notched his second win when the Royals, who'd sent him back to Omaha after he beat Tampa Bay, recalled him to start against St. Louis in place of injured Seth Lugo on May 17. Cameron, who gave up just two hits and didn't walk anyone, made only one mistake — a sixth-inning solo homer to Jordan Walker — but took a tough 1-0 loss when the Royals failed to score at all.

Cameron then threw 6.2 scoreless frames and struck out eight at Minnesota last Friday, but didn't figure in the decision after leaving with the game tied. The Royals went on to lose when Ty France's home run walked them off two innings later.

But despite how well he's pitched so far this season, let's not rush to judgment by proclaiming Cameron the future of the rotation. His excellent work is a relatively recent development when considered in the context of a four-season professional career that began several months after the Royals took him in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. After going a respectable 2-3 with a 3.56 ERA in a 2022 season split between rookie ball and Single-A, he went 5-12 with a 5.28 ERA — including a dismal 3-10, 6.10 in 17 starts for Double-A Northwest Arkansas — in 2023.

Fortunately, Cameron began to turn things around last season. After beginning the campaign at Northwest Arkansas, where he improved to 4-4 and lowered his ERA to 3.63, he moved up to Omaha, where in nine starts his ERA plunged to 2.32, he posted a 1.01 WHIP, and won three of five decisions. And he was 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 32.2 innings when the Royals recalled him earlier this month.

So, while it's fair to say Cameron is sizing up to be a part of the KC rotation's future, it would be premature to anoint him as the future of it. Three starts is simply too small a sample size, and his 16-22, 3.90 career minor league record can't serve as the basis upon which to project even future "ace" status.

But this much is clear — if Cameron, who should make his next start Wednesday night against Cincinnati, continues to pitch well for the Royals, he'll be at least a big part of their future rotations.