Prospect Nation #19: Outfielder Cameron Perkins

Cameron Perkins, Image- @BaseballBetsy

Outfielder Cameron Perkins has been one of the Phillies' most promising prospects since he was selected in the sixth round of the 2012 draft. The righty batting outfielder has been a solid performer in many aspects of the game and is closest to the big leagues of any player from that year's Phils draft class.

Perkins signed quickly and upon his pro debut he batted .158 with three RBI in five games for the Gulf Coast League (rookie level) Phillies. Following a promotion to the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters, Perkins shined. In 67 games, he posted a .304 average with 23 doubles, one triple, one home run and 38 RBI.

An aggressive swinger, Perkins was a top performer in the Class A Advanced Florida State League when he was sidelined with a fractured wrist after being hit by a pitch on May 31st. At the time of his injury, Perkins was among the league leaders in several offensive categories.

Five weeks later, Perkins was back in action and completed a solid season with Clearwater following two rehab outings with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. Overall last year, he batted .299 while notching 30 doubles, five triples, six homers and 53 RBI.

His .808 OPS in 105 total minor league games last season certainly proves there's already some pop in his bat. The youngster's six-foot-five 200-pound frame offers some upside for development with power at the plate. It's possible that Perkins' frame may never fill out to strapping Pat Burrell type proportions, but with a similar build to Von Hayes, who exceeded 15 homers in a big league season five times and led the National League in doubles once, there's damage that can be done with his stick.

This off-season, after the Phillies learned that Kelly Dugan's turf toe would prevent him from participating in the Arizona Fall League, the club sent Perkins to fill the void, as they are required to have seven active players there. In 18 games with Peoria, Perkins batted .216 with four doubles, two triples and three RBI.

The 23-year-old puts the ball in play with frequency and makes a lot of contact, keeping strike outs to a minimum.

Perkins hits very well against left-handers (.320/.353/.453 in 2013) and doesn't have much of a drop off against righties (.289/.350/.459 in 2013).

Defensively, Perkins has adapted to his new position as a corner outfielder swiftly, after playing third base in college and after manning the corner infield spots upon debuting as a pro with Williamsport in 2012. The move provides an easier path to the upper levels of the Phils' system that is clogged with young talent at third base.

On the bases, Perkins hasn't offered much in terms of speed. In 2012, he swiped five bags in seven chances, while he was successful four times in nine attempts in 2013.

The Purdue product was honored by the Phillies last year for working the most hours of community service among Threshers players.

To view the running list of this year's countdown, click HERE.

PhoulBallz Q&A with Mike Stutes

Mike Stutes completes "The Reading Phils Mike Tri-fecta" over three days, here on PhoulBallz.com. Stutes, a 22 year old, was an 11th round selection by the Phillies in the 2008 amateur draft. Stutes, a right handed starting pitcher, helped lead Oregon State to the College World Series championship in both 2006 and 2007. Stutes and teammate Vance Worley are the first players to begin a season at Reading the year after being drafted since Pat Burrell did it in 1999. Stutes was the Phils' minor league pitcher of the month in August '08, when he went 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 6 starts. Check out my Q&A with the third Mike below. Can I get you to talk about the coaching staff and how they help you deal with ups and downs? They've been real positive with me. I started out good and then I hit a rough patch. They've stuck with me through it all. I haven't heard any negative words from them. Every day they try to come out, work with me, try to get me turned around...

Jason Knapp Q&A

PhoulBallz .com was fortunate enough to meet with Phillies prospect Jason Knapp just one day after he caught the attention of the baseball world with his 7 shut out innings, 14 strike out performance against the Indians' Lake County team. - I asked Jason, the Lakewood BlueClaw , for some thoughts about his big game... I had pretty good command of three pitches (fastball, curve, change up). I was on the same page with my catcher, D'Arnaud , and I ended up, ya know, I felt pretty good. - In a great performance like that, how much credit goes to Travis D'Arnaud , the catcher? More than you might expect, definitely. I didn't shake him off once. He told me what to throw and I do what I'm told. And if it works out, a lot of the credit goes to the catcher. - Does the lack of run support (Lakewood has scored 3 total runs in his 3 starts), in your few starts, increase your stress level, or enhance your focus? No, I just try to go out and do my job every outing. Ya know, we...

Yankees Fans Misled By Pepsi Promotion

**** Today, New York Yankees fans attended a Pepsi promotion in Times Square hoping for chances to win opening day tickets to the new stadium, but the tickets, which were difficult to track down due to poor organization on Pepsi's part, were actually for a game in June. Furthermore, the 250 pairs that were promised were actually only 100 pairs. The fans, who were made to sprint through traffic over multiple city blocks when locations for the promotion changed, quickly turned against the soda brand by pooring out their beverages and chanting anti-Pepsi phrases. Yankees fans are even threatening a boycott of Pepsi. An appearance by Yankee great Goose Gossage could not even settle the angry mob, as he had to be whisked away, as a precaution, according to the Daily News . Ooo , I'd hate to see what "the worst fans in sports" (Philadelphia fans) would have done to their free Pepsi cans and beloved reliever in that situation. Because this happened in a non-Philly city, th...

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