A Debut to Remember

The Royals needed a starter with Cole Ragans hurting and Noah Cameron delivered in a BIG way.

A big league debut is always special. The number of people who have played Major League Baseball would only fill up about 55 percent of the seats at Kauffman Stadium. To be a big leaguer is something that is reserved for only the most talented of the most talented. I think that’s why I’m so enamored with players making their debut. It is such a special thing to be able to do and for us to be able to witness. And it’s even more special when it’s a prospect who can legitimately help your team win games. Add in a local element, and you get Noah Cameron’s big league debut with the team that plays about an hour from his hometown.

Now that I’m done droning on about my love of debuts, I can tell you that he did not disappoint. He was a bit shaky with his control, but it’s hard to argue with a legitimate no-hit bid in your first big league start. In the end, Cameron’s line was pretty incredible with one blemish:

6.1 IP
1 H
0 R
5 BB
3 K

I would have loved to have seen more whiffs and I’d have loved to have seen him get more chases out of the zone. I will get to that. But first, I did love a lot about this outing. For one, he wasn’t afraid to come at Rays hitters, throwing 54.4 percent of his 79 pitches in the zone. Pitchers need to have a healthy fear of opposing hitters, but those that are afraid of the zone are the ones that fail. If you’re wondering where 54.4 percent ranks in the league, coming into play last night, the Rays were the only team to throw it in the zone more. Only three teams - the Rays, Pirates and Cubs - have starters who throw it in the zone more than Cameron did last night.