MLB Rookie Profile: Cameron Perkins, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

On June 20th 2017 the Philadelphia Phillies promoted outfielder Cameron Perkins to the major league roster. Here’s a quick look at his background and a take on what to expect.

Perkins attended high school in Indianapolis, Indiana. Attending Purdue University, he was a three-year starter at third base and hit .342/.402/.541 in 693 at-bats over those three seasons. Scouts were impressed with the bat but concerns about his defense hampered his draft stock, dropping him to the sixth round in 2012.

After seeing some initial play at third he shifted to outfield and first base in 2013. He continued to hit well, hitting .299/.345/.444 in High-A in ‘13 and running up a .342 mark in 52 games in Double-A in ‘14. Triple-A was more challenging and it took him a year to figure out that level, though he was solid enough in ‘16 (.292/.329/.419) and ‘17 (.298/.388/.476) to earn a shot in the majors.

Perkins is listed at 6-5, 195, a right-handed hitter and thrower born September 27th, 1990. Despite his size he is more of a line drive hitter than a masher. When the home run power comes it is pull-side but more often he’s a gap hitter for singles and doubles. He makes contact and doesn’t strike out excessively but walks aren’t a big focus and most of his OBP comes from the batting average. Average running speed and a line drive hitting approach do result in some double plays.

Defensively his tools fit best in left but he has experience at all three outfield spots and is playable. He also has some experience at first base and could theoretically pick up innings at third in an emergency.

Overall, Perkins projects as a role player/pinch-hitter/platoon bat who can hit for a decent average and provide a bit of pop.

For some reason there is no recent hitting video of Perkins available, but he did make this impressive play in center field last spring:

The most recent available hitting video is almost four years old.