Royals breakout starter named MLB.com's darkhorse for AL Rookie of the Year

Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron was once viewed as a luxury of sorts, but now he is a necessity in the rotation. Injuries to starters Cole Ragans and Michael Lorenzen, coupled with thin organizational depth on the mound, made Cameron a mainstay for the foreseeable future.

While his historic start to his career was once viewed as a flash in the pan, the left-handed pitcher has quietly been Kansas City's best pitcher not named Kris Bubic.

While Bubic and Seth Lugo may dominate trade deadline headlines, Cameron isn’t going anywhere. The St. Joseph, Missouri native earned Triple-A All-Star honors from Baseball America in 2024, and now MLB.com lists the southpaw as a dark horse contender for the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year award.

Why should Royals' Noah Cameron win Rookie of the Year?

Cameron didn’t crack the top five in MLB.com’s recent Rookie of the Year poll, but his production is impossible to overlook. He’s not only stacking up well against other rookies—he’s holding his own among the league’s best in several key pitching metrics. MLB.com’s Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru underscored that point in their selection spotlighting Cameron’s impressive value from the mound.

"In addition to his 2.31 ERA -- he has given up two runs or fewer in 10 of 12 starts -- guys are just having a hard time hitting him. He has only given up 48 hits in 70 innings. That is 6.19 hits per nine, which, looking at the pool of pitchers with at least 50 IP this year, would make him slightly easier to hit than Wheeler, Carlos Rodón, Brown and Skenes -- and that is it. Granted, he has issued too many walks, and that will play a part in how hittable a guy is, but opponents are hitting a combined .158 with a .204 SLG against his changeup, slider and curveball, so he has clearly been making it work."

Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, MLB.com

It would be an amazing start for Cameron's career, but also historic in many ways. Sepe-Chepuru also noted that "since Angel Berroa won the award in 2003, no Royal has finished any higher than third in Rookie of the Year voting, and in the years since, 11 of the other 14 AL clubs have had at least one winner."

While Kansas City has had flashes of rookie success over the years, they’ve rarely made a league-wide impact. The last Royal to finish as high as fourth in the voting was shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. back in 2022.

While Cameron has been outstanding, it’s understandable why he’s still considered a dark horse for the award. The American League currently features three rookie position players tracking toward 3.0+ fWAR seasons—making it difficult for any pitcher to outpace them in overall value.

That said, Cameron holds a clear edge on the mound, leading all qualified rookie starters in ERA, expected ERA, groundball rate, and several other key metrics.

Cameron is on track to have the greatest rookie season from a Royals primary starter, but that is something left for discussion once the season ends. With nearly a dozen starts likely remaining, he has plenty of chances to strengthen his case, for better or worse.

For now, Royals fans can hope a strong finish helps Cameron secure the franchise’s first AL Rookie of the Year award in more than two decades.