What makes Clemson baseball's Cam Cannarella a top MLB draft prospect

CLEMSON — Cam Cannarella refused to leave empty-handed.

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00No. 11 Clemson begins its season Feb. 14 vs. No. 17 Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas, in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.

Cannarella followed that incredible play with one of the best baseball plays of all time, making a leaping over-the-shoulder Willie Mays-style catch in deep center field with runners on first and second in the 10th inning.The clutch plays on his Clemson résumé, have helped him become a projected top-10 selection in the 2025 MLB Draft. It’s as if Cannarella, 21, was tailor-made for these moments.As the clock dwindled, Cannarella made a contested buzzer-beating half-court shot to lift his team to glory. He had to receive fluids afterward because he was so dehydrated from playing so many games.Back in his elementary school days, Cannarella played in an all-day basketball tournament. He and his team played in more than six games to reach the championship, where Cannarella showed glimpses of his clutch gene that has shined during his time at Clemson baseball.Cannarella hit seven home runs in his first season, then 11 last year. If he can maintain that power after surgery, that will benefit Clemson and his draft stock.

Late-game heroics like these have become Cannarella’s calling card in his two seasons with the Tigers.”Scouts are going to want to see that the bat speed comes back and that he still has some slugging potential in him,” Doyle said.

“Cam Cannarella grades off the charts in the clutch gene,” Clemson coach Erik Bakich said last season. “He’s just the single greatest clutch performer I’ve ever been around in sport, and it’s one of the reasons that he has this superpower of producing when the game’s on the line. His competitive nature fuels him to another level.”Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Cannarella put away his hoops shoes for cleats when he focused on baseball full time at Hartsville High School. He played on junior varsity in ninth grade and started on varsity the following year, where he pitched and played in the infield.

An intense big-game performer: Cam Cannarella’s journey to Clemson

Cannarella’s injury limited him to zero stolen bases last season after he recorded 24 in his freshman year. His speed and ability to put himself in scoring position makes him a crucial asset on bases. Cannarella’s fiery on-field personality ignited in high school. Not only did he want to win every game, he wanted to make sure he delivered in them. “He was supposed to strike everybody out,” Hartsville baseball coach Tony Gailey said. “That was his mentality, and when he didn’t, sometimes you’d have to sit him down and say, ‘It’s OK. You got him out. You didn’t strike him out, but you got him out.'”One of his memorable games came on March 26, 2021, when Hartsville faced region foe North Myrtle Beach on the road in an extra-inning battle. It was Cannarella vs. Cam Freeman, who would sign with Georgia Tech before transferring to Chipola (Fla.) College.Both recorded 11 strikeouts as they kept their opponent scoreless across seven innings. It was a high-stakes game that featured trash talk from both teams and ended with Cannarella scoring the winning run in the eighth inning.”When I was in high school, I never wanted to lose. I hated losing,” Cannarella said. “I always want to compete, and I brought it (to Clemson), and you see that on the field.”Cam Cannarella’s spring and MLB draft forecastThe 2025 season likely will be Cannarella’s final one in college baseball as he could become the highest-drafted position player in Clemson history, surpassing Billy Spiers (1987) and Tyler Colvin (2006) who were selected 13th overall.MLB.com ranks Cannarella No. 15 in its prospect rankings, and Baseball America has him going sixth overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates in its preseason MLB mock draft.”He’s gasoline for a lineup,” MLB draft analyst Joe Doyle of FSS told The Greenville News. “The dude has been one of the best hitters in college baseball two years in a row.”Last season, Cannarella hit .337 with 11 home runs despite playing with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. After offseason surgery, Cannarella must answer two concerns: stealing bases and swing power.

“We always go back and watch that,” Holley Anderson, Cannarella’s mother, said. “Cameron has been given a God-given talent, and it just amazes me of the things that he can do in incidents like that at the last minute.”

MORE:Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich says fans can buy beer at games in 2025. Why ‘it’s huge’The Cannarella family still talks about that moment.The 6-foot, 185-pound center fielder crushed a solo home run against Coastal Carolina in the Clemson Regional finals last season that ignited a six-run eighth inning. He belted a tying three-run home run in the ninth inning in Game 2 of the Clemson Super Regional against Florida last year.