Atlanta Braves draft left-handed pitcher Cam Caminiti in 1st round | Sports

The Atlanta Braves added to their young core of pitching talent Sunday by selecting high schooler Cam Caminiti in the first round of the MLB draft.

Caminiti was taken 24th overall by the Braves, who signed a high-value player that MLB.com ranked as the No. 15 prospect available. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-hander out of Saguaro High School, Ariz., is the cousin of former National League MVP Ken Caminiti.

“I know they’re a great organization and they win a lot of games,” Caminiti told MLB.com. “They have a lot of young talent. I’m excited to be a Brave.”

Caminiti is one of the youngest prospects in the draft — he doesn’t turn 18 until Aug. 8 — after being reclassified from the class of 2025 to the class of 2024. He’s committed to LSU.

As a pitcher, he threw four quality pitches and hit 98 mph on a fastball that sat between 93 and 95. He was also a prospect as a hitter and was athletic enough to play center field when not on the mound.

“(Caminiti) has a huge arm,” Braves scouting director Ronit Shah told MLB.com. “You’ll see him at about 90, and I’ve seen him get ready to throw 96 or 97 at the end of a game in high school, which is very impressive. I think what impresses me the most is how easy he is to do it.”

Atlanta used its second-round pick Sunday on another left-handed pitcher, Vanderbilt junior Carter Holton. The 5-foot-11, 191-pounder played high school baseball in Georgia at Benedictine before spending three productive seasons at Vanderbilt, where he relied on a four-pitch arsenal as a starting pitcher.