Sudden impact: Cincinnati Reds prospect Cam Collier homers, is MVP of Futures Game
Gordon WittenmyerARLINGTON, Texas – Another Cincinnati Reds impact hitting prospect on the way?
Maybe.
For now, Cam Collier will settle for the sudden impact he made in the minor-league All-Star Futures Game on Saturday at Globe Life Field.
“This has definitely been a game in my carer I won’t forget. Never forget,” Collier said after earning MVP honors in the 24th annual minor-league All-Star event featuring many of the top prospects in the game.
Collier, drafted 18th overall by the Reds in 2022, led off the third inning Saturday with a home run into the home bullpen off Class AA right-hander Caden Dana, the Los Angeles Angels' top prospect, for the National League's first hit and first run of the game.
The National League won 6-1.
Collier, who has played this season at High-A Dayton, is the second Reds prospect to win Futures Game MVP honors, joining Taylor Trammell in 2018.
Ken Griffey Jr. presented him the MVP trophy in postgame ceremony.
"It's pretty sick," said Collier, who has worked out with Griffey Sr. and had met Griffey Jr. "He came up to Dayton a couple weeks ago and watched us play. It was pretty cool."
Representatives from the Hall of Fame requested his bat from the game to display in Cooperstown.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Collier, 19, “especially to be here for the Cincinnati Reds and two guys that were selected from there. I just wanted to show a good example for how good an organization we are.”
The Reds' other Futures Game selection, 2023 seventh-overall draft pick Rhett Lowder, pitched a scoreless fifth, including a strikeout of lefty slugger Xavier Isaac, a top-100 prospect in the Rays organization.
Collier, one of the youngest players in the Midwest League, also fanned on a 3-2 pitch from Class AA left-hander Noah Schultz of the White Sox organization with the bases loaded during the NL's three-run fourth inning.
He said he planned to stick around for a few days and maybe watch Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene in the big-league All-Star Game Tuesday, and "definitely" take in the Home Run Derby on Monday.
As for whether he lets himself wonder how long it will be before he gets a chance to join them in the majors — especially on a day like this — he downplayed any talk of timelines.
“I never try to look into it like that,” said Collier, whose dad is former big leaguer Lou Collier, “because I know the Reds have a plan for me. When they feel like I’m ready, that’s when I’ll be ready.”
He does look at the young talent on display for the Reds Saturday and Tuesday and allow himself to see a Reds future with competitive lasting power.
“We have a chance,” he said. “We’ve got some guys (coming) in the future. And we’ve got guys already there to be very good competitors in the future and have a good team for years to come.”
Collier also was one of eight participants in Saturday night's postgame hitting skills competition, using his last swing in a scoreless first round to have fun after missing the scoring targets on several bunts.
“I decided I’m not going to get a bunt down, so I’m just going to try to hit a homer,” he said.
He put the pitch halfway up the first level of seats in right field.
Collier is hitting .231 with 13 home runs in 78 games this season for Dayton.
He entered the season as one of the Reds' top 10 prospects.
