Cam Caminiti’s Double-A arrival came with a jolt, and then a reset.
The Braves’ top pitching prospect - a label he’s owned since the season began - got his first taste of Columbus after a call-up that followed what may have been the best start of his professional career. In that outing, the 19-year-old, who turns 20 tomorrow, punched out 14 batters and gave up just one run across 6.2 innings.
The debut in Double-A wasn’t that kind of fireworks show. Josh Adamczewski made sure of that right away, jumping on the first pitch of the game and launching a homer to open the night. Left-on-left against a top 50 prospect, Adamczewski turned around 100 mph and sent it off the roof of a building in right.
Caminiti did what young pitchers have to do when the league gives them an early punch. He regrouped and settled in, allowing only one more run over his next 5.1 innings while striking out three. Two of those strikeouts came against Adamczewski, which gave the matchup a little extra edge between two of the game’s better young talents.
For the Braves, Caminiti is the arm in the system who looks most like a future frontline starter if everything clicks. The organization has spent this season refining his mechanics, which helps explain why the raw numbers haven’t always jumped off the page. But that’s the point of the process: take a pitcher with real upside and shape him into what you think he can become.
He’s handled that work well, and when everything is coming together, the six-pitch mix shows exactly why so much of baseball is bullish on him.
The next year will tell a lot. Caminiti is getting closer to the majors, and Atlanta has never been shy about promoting its prospects. If his best stuff starts showing up more consistently, he could be in the big leagues as soon as next season.
In Other News...
Braves Roster Crunch Could Push Out Familiar Names Before Seasons End
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Young is in the most obvious spot of jeopardy among the group because the Braves have not gotten the kind of relief work they were hoping for. His numbers have drifted the wrong way, and a pitching staff that needs dependable innings cannot afford too many soft spots for long. Atlanta has no obligation to make a quick move, but with the season winding down and roster spots at a premium, the pressure is building on players like these to hold their ground before the team decides it has easier options elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Added A New Arm With A Rise Fans Will Want To Follow
The Braves latest roster move brought in a pitcher whose climb has been notable for more than just the change of scenery. Tyler Uberstine came over from the Red Sox in the Eli White deal and wasted little time making his organizational debut with Atlantas Triple-A club, working a scoreless inning as he settled into a new system.
Uberstine has already reached the big leagues once with Boston, and his path has gotten more interesting this season thanks to a noticeable uptick in velocity and better results across three different Minor League stops. For a Braves pitching pipeline that is always worth tracking, he is the kind of arm who can quickly go from a transaction footnote to a name fans keep checking back on. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Were Deeper In The Ace Market Than Fans Realized
Tarik Skubals move from Detroit to the Dodgers gave the pitching market the jolt it had been waiting for, and it also confirmed just how many clubs were circling one of the winters biggest arms. The Tigers pushed the deal forward amid uncertainty over George Kirbys availability, only for Kirby to stay put with the Mariners, while teams including the Brewers, Yankees, Rays, Braves and Cubs all spent time in the mix before Los Angeles landed the left-hander.
For Atlanta, the takeaway is less about the final destination and more about how aggressively the Braves were willing to chase a top-end starter. They were not merely on the fringe of the conversation, and their involvement says plenty about how determined the front office was to fortify the rotation, even if the market ultimately broke in another direction. [Read more 🡒]