Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 60

The son of former big leaguer Lou Collier, Cam began the summer as one of the more intriguing prospects for the 2023 Draft. But the Georgia high school standout decided to reclassify for the 2022 Draft, get his GED and head to Chipola Junior College for his spring season. After a summer of showing off impressive offensive skills and a strong showing at Chipola’s scout day this fall, Collier has been watched as one of the more intriguing -- and one of the youngest -- bats in this Draft class.

Most of the excitement about Collier centers around his left-handed bat. He has a loose stroke with outstanding bat speed and uncanny bat-to-ball skills. For most of the summer, he squared just about everything up, using the whole field and not being bothered by premium velocity, and he continued to show professional at-bats this spring. There’s good raw power in his swing, with more likely to come. While he’s not a burner, he’s a solid runner.

With an arm that has hit the low-90s from the mound, Collier has the chance to fit nicely at third base, where his offensive upside could fit well. If the hot corner doesn’t work, a move to an outfield corner or first base could be in his future, but it’s the Louisville recruit’s bat that will carry him and puts him in conversations about the first round.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Arm: 60 | Field: 45 | Overall: 50

Collier was supposed to be heading into his senior year of high school and expected to be an exciting prep bat for the Draft class of 2023 when he finished school in Georgia early and headed to Chipola Junior College while reclassifying for 2022. The son of former big leaguer Lou Collier, he put up very good numbers at age 17 for Chipola, landing him in the middle of the first round to the Reds, who went over slot to sign him for $5 million. His first full season was a bit uneven, but he finished off swinging the bat well as one of the youngest players in the Florida State League.

The Reds see everything Collier did in 2023 as a win, given how young he is. The fact he still had something left in the tank as the year wrapped up after a full season of pro ball bodes well for his future. After grinding through the first few months, he really showed off the left-handed swing with plus bat speed and a feel for the barrel that made him a first-rounder. He can use the entire field, and while he was hitting too many grounders early, he started driving the ball more later in the year, a sign of more pop to come.

Collier also played better third base as the year wore on, hopefully another good sign because there are some concerns about his ability to stick at the hot corner. He has plenty of arm for the left side of the infield, but he’s slowed down a bit and one area of focus for him will be to remain athletic enough to not have to move across the diamond to first.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Lou Collier’s son was slated to be one of the better 2023 Draft prospects until he finished high school in Georgia early, reclassified for the 2022 Draft and went to Chipola Junior College to be seen last year. He posted a .956 OPS for Chipola as a 17-year old and then headed to the Cape Cod League despite his age. He landed at No. 18 overall to the Reds, who went over slot to sign him for $5 million, and he hit well in a brief summer debut in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.

It’s Collier’s left-handed swing and offensive potential that got him drafted and will carry him up the Reds ladder. It’s loose and features plus bat speed with a knack for making a lot of contact. He wasn’t bothered by premium velocity against older pitching, squares the ball up and uses the whole field with regularity. He’s more of a hitter right now, but there’s plenty of raw power for him to continue to tap into. 

An average runner, there is some concern that Collier will fill out and slow down, which might impact his chances to stay at third base long-term. That said, he has decent defensive actions at the hot corner and an arm that fired low-90s fastballs from the mound fits very well there. It could work from right field if third isn’t an option, with first a potential landing spot depending on how he develops.

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

The son of former big leaguer Lou Collier, Cam began last summer as one of the more intriguing prospects for the 2023 Draft. But the Georgia high school standout decided to reclassify for the 2022 Draft, get his GED and head to Chipola Junior College for his spring season. After a summer of showing off impressive offensive skills and a strong showing at Chipola, not to mention challenging himself by going to the Cape Cod League as one of the youngest bats in the class, Collier’s name came up in conversations all over the top half of the first round before settling in at No. 18 overall, where the Reds gave him an over-slot bonus of $5 million to sign.

Most of the excitement about Collier centers around his left-handed bat. He has a loose stroke with outstanding bat speed and uncanny bat-to-ball skills. For most of last summer, he squared just about everything up, using the whole field and not being bothered by premium velocity, and he continued to show professional at-bats this past spring. There’s good raw power in his swing, with more likely to come. While he’s not a burner, he’s a solid runner.

With an arm that has hit the low 90s from the mound, Collier has the chance to fit nicely at third base, where his offensive upside could fit well. If he proves to not be athletic enough to stick at the hot corner, a move to an outfield corner or first base could be in his future, but it’s the bat the Reds were buying in the first round.

Awards

MID Player of the Week

Week	Team
08/04/2024

Futures Skills Showcase Participant

Year	Team
2024

Futures Game Selection

Year	Team
2024

Futures Game Most Valuable Player

Year	Team
2024

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	07/14/2024	National League Futures activated 3B Cam Collier.
	04/02/2024	3B Cam Collier assigned to Dayton Dragons from Daytona Tortugas.
	03/07/2024	Cincinnati Reds Prospects activated 3B Cam Collier.
	03/06/2024	3B Cam Collier assigned to Cincinnati Reds.
	04/04/2023	3B Cam Collier assigned to Daytona Tortugas from ACL Reds.
	04/04/2023	Daytona Tortugas activated 3B Cam Collier.
	08/08/2022	3B Cam Collier assigned to ACL Reds.
	07/25/2022	Cincinnati Reds signed 3B Cam Collier.
	05/09/2022	3B Cam Collier and assigned to College Workout.
	09/29/2021	Future Stars Series - Blue activated 3B Cam Collier.
	09/23/2021	3B Cam Collier and assigned to American.
	08/18/2021	3B Cam Collier and assigned to PG East.
	07/30/2021	Team Hank Aaron activated 3B Cam Collier.
	07/30/2021	Team Hank Aaron activated 3B Cam Collier.
	07/13/2021	PG National 8 - Purple activated 3B Cam Collier.
	07/08/2021	American activated 3B Cam Collier.
	07/08/2021	American activated 3B Cam Collier.