Royals pitching prospect doing unprecedented things: ‘Been incredible for us’
Whether he remains in Kansas City or goes back to Triple-A Omaha soon, Noah Cameron has proved his point.
He is a bona fide MLB pitcher.
On Friday night, Cameron turned in another impressive start against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. He allowed one run in 6 ⅔ innings, though the Royals lost 3-1. It was his third consecutive quality start of the 2025 campaign.
Cameron flirted with a no-hitter in his first start and made MLB history with his numbers through two.
“Every start he has made for us, he has been nails,” Royals designated hitter Cavan Biggio said.
The numbers Friday night were staggering. Cameron allowed four hits and finished with eight strikeouts while sporting a 0.93 ERA. He walked one batter and showed moxie to overcome an early gut punch.
“Just confidence,” Cameron said of his mindset. “I know I’m confident and I trust what I’ve worked for my whole life. I trust the process and I trust the coaches. I trust the work throughout the week and just being prepared and knowing I’m prepared takes a lot of stress off of it.”
Twins star Carlos Correa tagged him with a solo homer in the second inning. The blast traveled 429 feet over the center-field wall.
Cameron was unfazed. He calmly retired the next three batters to end the frame. Twins duo Brooks Lee and Jonah Bride both struck out in succession.
In the sixth inning, Cameron picked up his teammate. Royals second baseman Jonathan India booted a ground ball with one out. The error brought Correa to the plate with the potential go-ahead run on base.
Cameron threw Correa three curveballs and a changeup. He got Correa to ground into a double play to extinguish the rally.
And when he needed it, Cameron helped himself as well.
Twins designated hitter Royce Lewis hit a shallow dribbler toward the mound. Cameron fielded his position and threw a dart toward first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who corralled the low throw to record the out.
“Hitters are getting to first base talking about how good he is,” Pasquantino said. “So that’s always a good sign. He’s been incredible for us. Disappointed we couldn’t pull that one out for him tonight, but he has been doing a great job.”
That said, the Royals (28-24) provided Cameron with little run support. KC tangled with old nemesis Pablo Lopez early in the game. The Royals recorded seven hits and scored a run in the first inning after Cavan Biggio’s RBI double.
Neither team could find consistent offense until the ninth inning. Ty France belted a walk-off two run homer against Lucas Erceg as the Twins improved to 28-22.
“I was trying to throw a slider for a strike to get ahead in the count and he hit it out,” Erceg said.
Cameron was saddled with a no decision. He has allowed seven hits and two earned runs in 19 ⅓ innings to begin his MLB career.
“I mean that was the best of any of them, the best of the three starts,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
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Inside the numbers
There was a lot to like about Cameron’s command Friday night.
The Twins struggled to get a firm grasp on his extensive pitch mix. A big reason was the improvement of his fastball velocity throughout the game.
“The command — slider, change, curveball — it was the best off-speed he’s had,” Quatraro said. “The best life on the fastball, the best command and the most efficiency. They’ve been impressive all three of them, but that was the best one.”
Cameron worked this week to finish through the baseball. He wanted to remain on a consistent plane as he repeatedly threw his fastball and cutter to opposing hitters.
In Friday’s start, Cameron tossed 57 of 89 pitches for strikes was aggressive in attacking the strike zone early and often.
“I think tonight was the worst swings that he’s gotten,” Quatraro said.
The Twins registered 43 swings and 14 whiffs. Cameron had 14 called strikes, including four with his cutter. His fastball touched 93.5 mph and his curveball had a sharper break.
“I think all my stuff was feeling good today,” Cameron said. “Got a little bit wild there at the end with the fastballs. It was just attack the zone at even and 0-2. Not really wasting pitches and trying to (go) as long as I can.”
Next on the KC Royals schedule
The Royals continue their weekend series against the Twins.
KC right-hander Michael Wacha (3-4, 2.86 ERA) will start on Saturday afternoon against Minnesota hurler Zebby Matthews (0-1, 12.00 ERA) at Target Field.
Kris Bubic is slated to start the series finale Sunday.
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 9:41 PM with the headline "Royals pitching prospect doing unprecedented things: ‘Been incredible for us’."
