Flower Mound High School in Texas produced two second-round picks in the 2005 MLB Draft. 2020 could be the year they have another player taken in that particular round. Right-handed pitcher Cam Brown is the 61st-best prospect in the draft, according to MLB.com, and he is considered to be North Texas’s best prospect.
Brown has been all over the showcase circuit, and he has succeeded at each stop. It started when he put on one of the best performances of anyone at the PDP League. It continued with dominant outings in the Under Armour All-America Game and the Area Code Games. His stuff kicked up a notch in the latter.
Brown has good size, standing at six-feet, three-inches, weighing 210 pounds. Scouts call his build a classic pitcher build. He is committed to play collegiate ball at Texas Christian University, but a second-round pick could warrant forgoing college.
Strengths
Brown’s fastball and slider are graded 55/80, and the two pitch combine good velocity and movement to fool batters. He throws these pitches from a three-quarters arm slot. The fastball usually sits in the low-90s, but it tops out at 96 MPH. It has good sink and running action, as well.
His slider features good two-plane movement while sitting between 78-82 MPH. His slider was working as a plus pitch at the end of the showcase circuit, and it gives him a good combination at the top of his repertoire.
He also sports a changeup that is not far behind the fastball and slider in terms of quality. It sits in the mid-80s, and it can get swings and misses. If his development continues as it is, that repertoire can get him into the middle of a MLB starting rotation sooner rather than later.
Weaknesses
Cam Brown is a solid prospect who will make a good addition to any farm system. It can be argued that his ceiling is not as high as other pitchers in this tier of the draft. Brown does not have any grade higher than a 55/80. However, there are prospects like Justin Lange who will be available in this part of the draft. Lange has a grade of 70/80 on his fastball, illustrating that it has elite stuff.
This, of course, is a nitpick on Brown as both pitchers have overall grades of 50/80 and Brown has better control right now.
Signability is always something to be wary of with high school prospects. While it is possible that Brown cab be swayed away from TCU, it is possible he could choose to honor his commitment. He is considered to be the best recruit in their incoming class, and he did not have the best abbreviated 2020 season. Therefore, it is possible that he could opt for college in order seize an opportunity to make an impact early and help build his
MLB Comp
There are some similarities between Brown and Minnesota Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey. Both men are the same height, and they are similar weights. Duffey has a deeper repertoire, but he he primarily uses a fastball, slider combination. The two offerings combined for 88.8% of his pitches in 2019.
Duffey has higher average velocities on his fastball and slider than Brown does although it is not by an extreme margin.
Although Duffey is a relief pitcher, he was developed as a starting pitcher, and he made 336 starts for the Twins in his first two seasons. Therefore, he represents the path that lies ahead for Cam Brown. The continued development of his pitches is crucial to him sticking as a MLB starter. If he does not develop as anticipated, it is possible that he could land in a MLB bullpen in the future.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
