Cam Collier

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #10 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: The son of eight-year MLB veteran Lou Collier, Cam followed the same path as Bryce Harper by graduating from high school after his sophomore year, then enrolling at a junior college. That made Collier draft eligible after what would have been his high school junior season. The Reds drafted him 18th overall in 2022 out of Florida juco power Chipola and signed him for $5 million, or 37% over slot. Collier played the entire 2023 season as an 18-year-old, making him one of the younger players in full-season ball.
  
  Scouting Report: Collier is a relatively mature hitter, despite his youth. He’s a potential above-average hitter who has excellent barrel control and makes solid swing decisions. Pitchers rarely fool Collier, and he makes plenty of contact. When he connects, he hits the ball hard. But he hit just .246 with six home runs in 111 games in the Florida State League. The issue for Collier is that he doesn’t have a swing that allows him to consistently do damage. Collier hits a lot of pulled ground balls, but he’ll need to learn to lift the ball more consistently to get to his above-average power potential. His long-term potential depends a lot on him maintaining his already declining athleticism. He’s already slow-footed. Collier lacks lateral range and has poor footwork, which leaves scouts skeptical that he’ll be able to stay at third base. He has a strong and accurate arm that grades as plus. He’s a below-average runner who is slowing.
  
  The Future: Collier’s upside remains as lofty as it was when he was drafted, but there are reasons to worry. If he maintains or improves his athleticism and develops his power, he’s a potential everyday third baseman. But if he can’t, his bat will be stretched as a first basemen with no other defensive options. He should head to High-A Dayton for most of 2024.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Field: 40 | Arm: 60
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #4 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Collier was set to be one of the best high school hitters in the 2023 draft class, but he sped up his timetable dramatically by passing the GED after his sophomore year at Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Ga. Much like Bryce Harper a decade before, Collier jumped to junior college in 2022 during what would have been his junior year of high school. He hit .333/.419/.537 for juco power Chipola in Florida, then spent a couple of weeks in the Cape Cod League before the draft. Collier fell to the Reds at pick No. 18, but his $5 million bonus was 10th-largest in the draft class. He impressed in a brief stint in the Florida Complex League. He is the son of former big league shortstop Lou Collier.
  
  Scouting Report: Collier has always been an advanced hitter, which explains how he handled the big jump to facing junior college pitchers as a 17-year-old. He has a smooth swing with plenty of adjustability thanks to excellent hands. He uses the whole field, with a hit-over-power approach, but he has above-average power potential as well. He knows how to work counts and draw walks. Collier showed improvement in his footwork and reactions at third base, but there remains some skepticism about whether he will have the range to remain there based on how his body is expected to fill out. He has a 65 arm on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, which fits at third.
  
  The Future: Scouts who like Collier the most see a middle-of-the-order bat with enough athleticism to stick at third. More skeptical evaluators see a teenager who is already getting big. They fear he'll have to slide to first base eventually and don't know if his bat will be enough to handle the slide down the defensive spectrum. His 65-grade arm could also be an asset in right field.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 60. Power: 55. Run: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 65

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #7 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Chipola (Fla.) JC Committed/Drafted: Louisville
  Age At Draft: 17.7
  BA Grade: 60/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Field: 50 | Arm: 65
  The youngest hitter in the 2022 draft class, Collier will still be 17 years old on draft day and doesn’t turn 18 until November. The son of former big leaguer Lou Collier, Cam was originally a top-ranked member of the 2023 high school class, but he opted to first reclassify for the 2022 draft class and then move from Georgia high school baseball to one of the top junior college programs in the country at Chipola. Those aggressive moves have paid off for the 6-foot-1, 219-pound third baseman, who was second on the team in hitting and posted a .333/.419/.537 slash line with eight home runs, 12 doubles and 25 walks to 33 strikeouts. As you likely guessed given Collier’s age and performance, he’s an advanced hitter who has long shown a savvy approach at the plate. He has quick hands and a clean bat path paired with excellent pitch recognition and an ability to let the ball travel, trust his hands and use the entire field. Collier has a wide, crouched and open setup with a low handset. He’ll occasionally let those hands completely take over in his swing and slap the ball the other way without fully incorporating his lower half or being fully grounded. He has plenty of strength in the tank as a physically mature player for his age with plus raw power, but it’s an approach that is more geared for balls sprayed into the gaps than homers to the pull side. Collier has an easy plus arm from the hot corner, with solid hands and defensive instincts as well, though he’ll need to maintain his body and lateral mobility to stick at the position. Scouts skeptical of his defense think he’ll eventually move to first base primarily because of mobility concerns at his physical peak. Collier should be the first junior college bat taken in the first round since Tim Anderson (No. 17) in 2013 and will join a strong demographic that includes Anderson, Cory Spangenberg, Bryce Harper, Lonnie Chisenhall and Nick Markakis this century. He is committed to Louisville but could go among the first 10 picks.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Collier was set to be one of the best high school hitters in the 2023 draft class, but he sped up his timetable dramatically by passing the GED after his sophomore year at Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Ga. Much like Bryce Harper a decade before, Collier jumped to junior college in 2022 during what would have been his junior year of high school. He hit .333/.419/.537 for juco power Chipola in Florida, then spent a couple of weeks in the Cape Cod League before the draft. Collier fell to the Reds at pick No. 18, but his $5 million bonus was 10th-largest in the draft class. He impressed in a brief stint in the Florida Complex League. He is the son of former big league shortstop Lou Collier.
  
  Scouting Report: Collier has always been an advanced hitter, which explains how he handled the big jump to facing junior college pitchers as a 17-year-old. He has a smooth swing with plenty of adjustability thanks to excellent hands. He uses the whole field, with a hit-over-power approach, but he has above-average power potential as well. He knows how to work counts and draw walks. Collier showed improvement in his footwork and reactions at third base, but there remains some skepticism about whether he will have the range to remain there based on how his body is expected to fill out. He has a 65 arm on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, which fits at third.
  
  The Future: Scouts who like Collier the most see a middle-of-the-order bat with enough athleticism to stick at third. More skeptical evaluators see a teenager who is already getting big. They fear he'll have to slide to first base eventually and don't know if his bat will be enough to handle the slide down the defensive spectrum. His 65-grade arm could also be an asset in right field.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 60. Power: 55. Run: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 65
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Collier was set to be one of the best high school hitters in the 2023 draft class, but he sped up his timetable dramatically by passing the GED after his sophomore year at Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Ga. Much like Bryce Harper a decade before, Collier jumped to junior college in 2022 during what would have been his junior year of high school. He hit .333/.419/.537 for juco power Chipola in Florida, then spent a couple of weeks in the Cape Cod League before the draft. Collier fell to the Reds at pick No. 18, but his $5 million bonus was 10th-largest in the draft class. He impressed in a brief stint in the Florida Complex League. He is the son of former big league shortstop Lou Collier.
  
  Scouting Report: Collier has always been an advanced hitter, which explains how he handled the big jump to facing junior college pitchers as a 17-year-old. He has a smooth swing with plenty of adjustability thanks to excellent hands. He uses the whole field, with a hit-over-power approach, but he has above-average power potential as well. He knows how to work counts and draw walks. Collier showed improvement in his footwork and reactions at third base, but there remains some skepticism about whether he will have the range to remain there based on how his body is expected to fill out. He has a 65 arm on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, which fits at third.
  
  The Future: Scouts who like Collier the most see a middle-of-the-order bat with enough athleticism to stick at third. More skeptical evaluators see a teenager who is already getting big. They fear he'll have to slide to first base eventually and don't know if his bat will be enough to handle the slide down the defensive spectrum. His 65-grade arm could also be an asset in right field.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 60. Power: 55. Run: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 65
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 60/Extreme
  
  August Update: The youngest hitter in the 2022 draft class, Collier was 17 years old on draft day and doesn&#39t turn 18 until November. The son of former big leaguer Lou Collier, Cam was originally a top-ranked member of the 2023 high school class, but he opted to first reclassify for the 2022 draft class and then move from Georgia high school baseball to one of the top junior college programs in the country at Chipola. Those aggressive moves have paid off for the 6-foot-1, 219-pound third baseman, who was second on the team in hitting and posted a .333/.419/.537 slash line with eight home runs, 12 doubles and 25 walks to 33 strikeouts. As you likely guessed given Collier&#39s age and performance, he&#39s an advanced hitter who has long shown a savvy approach at the plate. He has quick hands and a clean bat path paired with excellent pitch recognition and an ability to let the ball travel, trust his hands and use the entire field. Collier has a wide, crouched and open setup with a low handset. He&#39ll occasionally let those hands completely take over in his swing and slap the ball the other way without fully incorporating his lower half or being fully grounded. He has plenty of strength in the tank as a physically mature player for his age with plus raw power, but it&#39s an approach that is more geared for balls sprayed into the gaps than homers to the pull side. Collier has an easy plus arm from the hot corner, with solid hands and defensive instincts as well, though he&#39ll need to maintain his body and lateral mobility to stick at the position. Scouts skeptical of his defense think he&#39ll eventually move to first base primarily because of mobility concerns at his physical peak.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 60 Power: 55 Run: 40. Field: 50. Arm: 65.