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Most afternoons, Erik Bakich finds himself watching Cam Cannarella with the same quiet disbelief as everyone else.
It might be during pregame drills. It might be in a tie game with the wind blowing out. It doesn’t really matter, Bakich quipped.
At some point, Clemson’s head coach will glance toward center field, and there’s Cannarella, gliding across the grass with a body that seems less beholden to physics than everyone else’s.
“It’s the combination of having this very hot, burning competitive fire, but at the same time, he doesn’t let his emotions get the best of him in competition,” Bakich said in February. “He’s just, he’s got all the things that would lead you to believe that he’s even going to get better.”
That paradox—fiery yet composed, polished yet still developing—sits at the heart of Cannarella’s profile as he approaches the 2025 MLB Draft. It’s also what makes him one of the most intriguing, and perhaps underappreciated, prospects in college baseball.
Dive Deeper On Cam Cannarella
Statistically, Cannarella’s junior season reads like a regression: he’s batting .300/.451/.438, with just two home runs and 29 RBIs through April—a stark contrast from the freshman who hit .388 with seven homers and an ACC Freshman of the Year trophy, or the sophomore who slugged 11 home runs with a .337 average.
This version of Cannarella, at least at the plate, isn’t quite the same electric catalyst.
But letting those numbers define him misses the point.
Cannarella underwent labrum surgery over the summer and entered the season not just recovering, but restricted. He didn’t participate in pregame work. He wasn’t allowed to steal bases.
“One bad slide,” Cannarella told Baseball America in February, “and it could’ve taken me out for the year. So I kind of had to change my game a little bit.”
And it’s possible the numbers are still showing it. His contact rate has dipped from 82% to 78%. His once-elite 92% in-zone contact rate has fallen to 83%. Cannarella’s exit velocities are slightly down across the board, with a 90th percentile EV of just 102.3 mph, roughly one mile per hour lower than last year.
“It’s definitely been tough,” Cannarella shared earlier in the season. “You want to go out there and do everything you can to help the team win. And when part of your game gets taken away, it’s frustrating.”
Still, he’s leaned into what remains: a defensive skillset that has become impossible to ignore.
Three opposing coaches who faced Clemson in the last two seasons described Cannarella as the best defender they’ve seen in at least a decade. One went further: best ever.
In last year’s Super Regional against Florida, Cannarella made what many consider his signature play—a full-speed, over-the-shoulder, basket-style catch deep in center field while crashing into the wall. The play drew immediate comparisons to Willie Mays’ iconic catch in the 1954 World Series and left even Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, who’s coached several high-caliber center fielders like Jud Fabian and Buddy Reed, stunned.
“It was astounding,” O’Sullivan said postgame.
Ethan Darden, Cannarella’s roommate and one of Clemson’s pitchers, has almost grown desensitized to the absurdity.
“You watch his highlights,” Darden said. “It’s like, ‘Holy crap.’ If there’s a ball hit to the outfield, you know it’s caught. There’s no doubt about it. I’m over there like head down and walking off the mound because I already know it’s caught.”
For Cannarella, center field isn’t just home—it’s where he thrives.
“Defense is where I feel the most confident,” he said. “No matter what’s going on with my bat, I know I can help us win games with my glove. That’s the standard I hold myself to.”
Bakich has watched him impact games without even making contact with the baseball.
“Cam can change the game with one play defensively in the outfield and change the game with his bat,” he said. “When you combine his offense, his defense and his base running, there’s really nothing he can’t do on a baseball field.”
Even if Clemson has had to scale back that third tool, Bakich believes Cannarella’s upside hasn’t peaked.
“Power is usually the last tool to develop,” he said. “Cam still has projection…he’s not physically maxed out. He definitely has more room to improve.”
That’s an important distinction. At 21, Cannarella still has time to fill out, physically and statistically. And he knows how that game is played.
“This year, I’m not worried about draft stuff,” he said. “I’ve been through the pressure, the ups and downs. I just want to compete.”
Competitiveness has been at the core of his identity since his freshman breakout. It’s what kept him focused when the shoulder nearly sidelined him early last season. It’s what pushes him now.
“He’s very driven to help this team go to the World Series and win a national championship,” Bakich said. “He’s just got that ‘it’ factor. He makes clutch defensive plays when the game’s on the line. He gets clutch hits when the game’s on the line. And he just finds a way to be at his very best when it means the most.”
And that’s what Clemson sees every day. Not just a twitchy, contact-oriented lefty bat or elite defender. But a tone-setter. A leader. A player who, even at less than 100%, makes everyone else breathe easier.
“He’s just an incredible kid,” Bakich said. “A guy that every pro organization would want to be one of their franchise players and build a team around.”
Cannarella may not check every box on a data-driven draft model. But he still looks like the type of center fielder teams covet: a middle-of-the-diamond player with an unmatched motor who, once fully healthy, might bounce back at the plate, too.
“I know what I’m capable of,” Cannarella said. “And I know what I bring to the table. I just want to help us win. That’s always been the goal.”
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