The Cleveland Guardians are sitting at No. 27 in tomorrow night’s MLB Draft, and they might have found their center fielder of the future.
Cam Cannarella, the Clemson outfielder, is projected to land with Cleveland in Joel Reuter’s final mock draft for Bleacher Report. It’s a pick that makes plenty of sense when you look at what the Guardians value most.
“Cam Cannarella checks the contact-oriented box with a 55-grade hit tool, and he adds secondary appeal as a sure-fire center fielder with Gold Glove potential. He hit .360/.453/.551 in 865 plate appearances during his three years at Clemson, and offers enough potential value to overlook his limited power.”
Those numbers tell the story. Cannarella’s a pure hitter who knows how to get on base – exactly the type Cleveland’s built their identity around. Reuter even draws comparisons to Steven Kwan, which should get Guardians fans excited.
The power’s not there yet, but that contact ability is elite-level stuff. When you’re hitting .360 over three college seasons, you’ve got something special going on at the plate.
What makes this interesting is the timing. Lane Thomas is struggling in center field this year, batting just .160 with four home runs and 11 RBIs through the season. At 29, he’s not part of the long-term picture anyway.
By the time Cannarella works his way through the system, Cleveland could be ready for a seamless transition. The three-time All-ACC selection brings both the glove and the bat to handle center field duties for years to come.
It’s exactly the type of pick that fits Cleveland’s development model – take the high-contact guy with defensive upside and let him grow into something special. They’ve done it before with guys like Kwan.
Now they just need to hope Cannarella’s still available when their turn comes around tomorrow night.
