Three KC Royals prospects to watch in High-A Quad Cities

Pitcher Noah Cameron
Royals Prospect Ranking: 22

He is not a highly regarded prospect, but pitcher Noah Cameron could make a sizeable jump in 2023.

The 23-year-old lefty is a local Royals prospect, hailing from St. Joseph, Missouri. He attended Central Arkansas, carrying a 6-2 record and 2.95 ERA as a freshman. The COVID-19 pandemic limited his collegiate opportunities after that. Then, Tommy John's surgery ended his pitching changes in 2021. The Royals still drafted him 199th overall in that year's MLB Draft, trusting Cameron's recovery process.

He made his professional debut in 2022, starting with the Low-A Columbia Fireflies. He only pitched 29 innings but logged 39 strikeouts and only nine walks. His impeccable control was an outlier among Royals prospects for their lack of it. By late May 2022, the Royals promoted Cameron to Quad Cities. Cameron had a rehab stint after his promotion, but he still started nine games for the River Bandits in 2022. his strikeouts and walks improved even more, recording 53 strikeouts and seven walks in 31 innings. All of those numbers jump off the page, saying Cameron is ready to progress even more in 2023.

He has one of the Royals farm's best changeups, a 60-grade pitch according to scouts. His fastball does not have the best velocity, but his control of it is what makes it good. He is still recovering from elbow surgery, making his path forward a shaky one. But, Cameron has performed well so far. Fans should tune in to see if he continues his trajectory in 2023.