Exposure Has Been Hard To Come By For MacLeod
February 18, 2022
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Exposure Has Been Hard To Come By For MacLeod
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Exposure Has Been Hard To Come By For MacLeod
“I talked with Cal Baptist University in the fall, but really nobody else,” related the top-rated 2023 catcher in British Columbia.
With restrictions coming into play since Covid came onto the scene, the Argyle High School junior has, admittedly, found the going tough.
“I didn’t really play in the state until the Future Games,” MacLeod pointed out. “I really liked that and I think it started my recruitment. I was able to see how it is playing against kids that are being recruited and now committed. I felt I matched up pretty well. There wasn’t a drastic difference for me. I felt I could keep up with the competition.”
There was no argument from Cam Black-Araujo, PBR Canada lead scout.
“The bat is what really impressed me when I first got a look at Cam MacLeod this summer at the Future Games,” Black-Araujo said. “He has a great approach and feel for the strike zone while consistently making hard contact from the right-side of the plate.
"His stock seems to continue to rise each time our staff sees him and he has a great chance to kick off 2022 with a bang at our Spring Training in Panama City Beach,” continued Black-Araujo. “He's one of the headliners at the event and you can expect to hear his name on a national level over the next year-and-a-half."
Still, the 16-year-old believes coaches need to understand what he is about as a player.
“I’m a good leader and I can adapt to whatever a coach wants me to do,” MacLeod explained. “I like to try new stuff and find new ways to work and get better.”
Those that the fifth-ranked 2023 in British Columbia has talked with see a lot of plusses in his game.
“They like my hitting, and say that I have a really nice swing,” noted MacLeod. “I was told that by a couple of people. They like my athleticism behind the plate and that I’m a good thinker behind the plate at catcher.”
It is just part of where improvement has come for the 5-11 175-pounder.
“I feel I’ve gotten more powerful, that I have more strength and that I definitely have a better understanding of the game,” MacLeod said. “I’ve taken it a step up and know I can have a future playing in the states.”
It is a matter of getting seen.
“If I want to play in the states I can send video out, but videos only go a certain amount,” MacLeod explained. “They all say they need to see you. Doing PBRs in the states, coaches can get a better understanding of how you play.
“I try to outwork anyone else,” MacLeod added about what he feels he can provide a program at the next level. “I’ll ask a coach what he needs me to improve on and I’ll try my hardest to do whatever I need to do to improve on that.”
It was only a few years back when the idea of playing college baseball entered the mind of MacLeod.
“I’ve thought about it since I was 12 or 13, that I wanted to go to college and go to the states and play down there,” MacLeod said. “Now I see it being realistic. Seeing people I know from the Future Games and with Team Canada, and knowing they’re going down there to play, I know I have a chance to go down there as well.”
Plans are to play in PBR events this spring in Florida and as part of Team Canada playing in Georgia.
“I’ve just got to do the best I can in the states to get the most exposure I can,” MacLeod pointed out. “I’m going to work my hardest and, hopefully, coaches will see that.
“I have no preference where I play,” MacLeod added. “I want to go where I like the coaches and they have a good academic program. The west coast, east coast, southern or northern, I have no preference. I just want to play.”
Kinesiology is the planned major for MacLeod, who believes he “can definitely improve in all aspects of the game, probably relaxing in high-key situations is what I need to improve on the most.”
First base is the secondary position behind catcher for MacLeod, whose time frame for making a college decision is before the end of 2022.
“I’m gonna take my time,” MacLeod concluded. “Hopefully, by the end of summer I’ll be committed. If not, then early in my senior year.”