Drafted in the 13th round (377th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2001.
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RHP Kevin Cameron is developing consistency and maturity, but he throws 88-92 mph with a promising breaking ball.
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Though he posted a 8.59 ERA as a Twins farmhand in the Arizona Fall League, opposing scouts were excited by Cameron's live cutter/slider mix, and the Padres took him in the major league Rule 5 draft. The Twins converted Cameron to relief after drafting him in 2001 and he began generating easy 97-mph velocity. He missed the entire 2002 season with a labrum tear in right shoulder. Tendinitis in the same shoulder caused him to miss about a month in both 2003 and 2005. Cameron has generated about twice as many groundouts as flyouts at both Double-A and Triple-A with his moving cut fastball, which he can dial up to 92 mph. His four-seam fastball can still reach 97 on occasion. Cameron's hard 86-88 mph slider is a strikeout pitch and has similar lateral movement as his cutter but more depth. In fact, everything Cameron throws moves, in part because his arm wasn't set properly after he broke it as a child. He still struggles to hold runners and nine of 12 basestealers were successful in 2005 and 2006. As a Rule 5 pick, he'll have to remain on San Diego's major league roster or else he has to clear waivers and then be offered back to Minnesota for half his $50,000 draft price.
Cameron spent the majority of his career at Georgia Tech coming out of the bullpen and probably wouldn't have cracked the weekend rotation as a junior last spring if preseason All- American Brian Sager hadn't gotten hurt. The Twins recognized Cameron's raw arm strength and think he could be a mid-round gem. After some minor mechanical tinkering, he moved back to the pen as a pro and started blowing 94-95 fastballs by hitters. He also showed an above-average 82-85 mph curveball and limited opponents to a .186 average in his debut. Cameron kept on impressing during instructional league, where he touched 96-97 with his fastball. With his maturity and control, Cameron could jump right onto the fast track.
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