Noah Cameron was never a highly-regarded prospect, but he just delivered results at each minor league level. And in a stacked rookie class, he was one of the best debut players in baseball.
Cameron finished
fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, as announced by the Baseball Writers of America last night. Cameron was not called up until April 30, but managed to finish 9-7, with a 2.99 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 138.1 innings in 24 starts, good for 3.8 rWAR. Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz the unanimous winner, taking all 30 first-place votes. The 2024 draft pick hit .290/.383/.619 with 36 home runs in just 117 games.
Cameron was second among all AL rookies in rWAR at 3.8, behind only Kurtz, although he fared much worse under fWAR at 1.8. Among Kansas City writers, Dave Brown of Pitcher’s List voted Cameron second on his ballot, while Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star had him third.
Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin won National League Rookie of the Year in a close vote over Cubs pitcher Cade Horton. Baldwin hit .274/.341/.469 with 19 home runs in 124 games while Horton went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 118 innings
Cameron’s finish would not have merited the Royals a draft pick, as he was ineligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive Program. That program rewards teams that keep a top 100 prospect on the roster for nearly all of the season, if that player wins Rookie of the Year, or finishes top three in MVP or Cy Young voting prior to qualifying for arbitration. The Royals netted an extra draft pick after Bobby Witt Jr. finished second in MVP voting last year. Carter Jensen would be eligible for the program next year if the Royals bring him up within the first two weeks of the season and keep him on the roster all year.
