Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

NorCal ProCase Spotlight: SS/OF Cameron Butler

July 30, 2020
Steve Doherty
Area Scout

    

New Episode LIVE now! - At The Yard Podcast

LINCOLN, CA. - Small town kid, small private school, son of a coach, 3-sport athlete, committed to the local University (Cal Poly SLO), tooled-up, you know....that ole’ chestnut.  Way back when, this story might have sounded familiar, almost like finding the proverbial “needle in a haystack”... Not so fast; this isn’t 1960, and we know who Cameron Butler is. He has been one of our favorite players in the 2021 class for some time now and has been on the radar of college coaches and scouts alike.

Close to $8.5 Million in signing bonuses came out of the 2019 NorCal ProCase Nick Yorke - Red Sox (17th), Tyler Soderstrom - A’s (26th), Kyle Harrison - Giants (85th) and if you want to include Petey Halpin - Cleveland (95th), a NorCal native, it would be close to $10 Million in signing bonuses. 

With 50+ representatives from 24 MLB Organizations in attendance, some teams 2-3 deep, and the profound talent on the NorCal ProCase roster Butler is not hiding, on the contrary, he set out to show that his  #20 overall ranking outfielder in the Golden State is for real and worthy of serious discussion for the 2021 MLB Draft. 

When it comes to the numbers, analytics don’t lie.....in my opinion, analytics and numbers are not the b-all-end-all; however they do tell a story.

THE NUMBERS:

Plane Analysis: Butler demonstrated an average Plane swing performance compared to other players with similar level of play. If he stayed longer on plane, he would consistently barrel up balls,  and make better adjustments with his body.

Connection Analysis: Cameron demonstrated an above average Connection swing performance comparatively. If one has good connection, it shows better swing adjustability in all pitch locations; you’ll have better plate coverage and generate more power to all parts of the field.

Rotation Analysis: Butler exhibited an above average Rotation swing performance comparatively. He displayed the ability to sequence correctly by using his hips followed by his hands and showed the ability to adjust his swing.

Here's Butler doing his thing at the 2019 Underclass Area Code Games with the Oakland A's. We are excited to see what he will do at the 2020 Area Code Games in Georgia in the coming weeks. 

THE REPORT:

Body: Medium-Large, flexible greyhound type frame with high, trim waist.  Live athlete, +body control. Normal, strong, muscle build with wide shoulders, strong hands, and long legs. Lacking in upper body strength at current time with ample room to grow.  Ideal frame for a position player.

Hit: Hit over power. Explosive, compact swing. Hands allow the barrel to create easy lift and there’s a strong ability to transfer energy up the chain and through the baseball utilizing a kick back matched with his locked in front side. Will hit for average.

Power: Over the fence power potential. Can get beat with +FB at current time, but added strength will allow him to get to this ball and drive down the RF line consistently.  Creates excellent early connection, leverage, and full extension.

Field: Sound defensive actions and mechanics at shortstop and the outfield.  +Defender at SS/CF with good instincts. Quick, smooth double-play transfers from short and sets feet when needed.

Arm: Always on target with slight arm side tail. One-hops mitt regularly from outfield (90MPH). Can throw from all angles accurately from shortstop (85MPH).

Run: 6.65 60-yard. Twitchy, lead-off type speed. Will extend range in outfield.

THE COMP:  Peter Bourjos (Angels)

Summary: Butler is an elite overall athlete showing speed, some pop in the bat, and above average defensive skills from both the outfield and shortstop positions. In my opinion Butler is the quintessential “Modern Ball-Player”, a swiss-army knife so to speak; hyper-athletic, can play multiple positions, and is a football and basketball player. If you asked him to pitch and catch, he could probably do that at a high level too, he can do it all. The Oakland A’s 2020 Area Code Team selection confirms what we already know, he’s a good baseball player.
 

UPCOMING EVENTS:


RELATED TOPICS