Astros’ Prospect Daz Cameron Out for Season

One of the Astros more impressive minor league talents will now be on the mend for the remainder of the 2016 season.

The Astros officially announced yesterday afternoon that prospect Daz Cameron had suffered a broken left index finger. The injury effectively ends the 19-year old outfielder’s first full season of professional baseball.

Coming in as the Astros fifth-ranked prospect per MLBPipeline.com, Cameron was expected to take the next step in his development in the minors. However, the son of Mike Cameron didn’t start the season like many expected as he was assigned to extended Spring Training in early May following a short stint with Class-A Quad Cities. And even though his numbers recovered when he returned to Class-A Tri-City, his overall performance will surely leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Batting Average: .212

On-Base Percentage: .287

Slugging Percentage: .321

Hits: 33

Walks: 14

Strikeouts: 59

Cameron’s 2016 season will definitely go down as disappointing, but ultimately also as one to learn from as he goes forward in his baseball career. The young outfielder remains one of the Astros more talented prospects. A broken finger will not impact his long-term potential.

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But witnessing the 37th overall pick in last year’s draft struggle is certainly a cold reminder that not every prospect will burst out of the gate. Sure, it would be fantastic to see every prospect start their professional career off strong. And while it remains unknown whether Cameron will ultimately work out, the Astros will allow the 37th overall pick in 2015 plenty of time to develop.

To be quite honest, it is unrealistic to begin to write off a prospect so soon after a team drafts him. But people want results now, not tomorrow. Alas, this is, unfortunately, a byproduct of the times we live in nowadays.

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Going forward, expect Cameron to start the 2017 season with one of the Astros Class-A affiliates. This injury will essentially allow him time to digest his brief 2016 season and examine any adjustments he may need to make next year. But time is on his side, and the potential is still there for Cameron to be a big part of the Astros future plans.

**Statistics provided by Baseball-Reference**