3 Underrated Pitching Prospects Ready to Make an Impact
Noah Cameron, Ian Seymour, Adam Mazur
With the 2025 Season a few weeks in, let’s take a look at 3 AAA starting pitchers that have proven they deserve a shot in the Majors. To highlight unheralded arms, I limited myself to pitchers that were currently on their respective team’s 40-Man Rosters and those that are not considered Top Prospects.
Noah Cameron
Noah Cameron has enjoyed his time in AAA over the past 2 seasons, posting a 2.58 ERA and 23.1 K-BB% across 76.2 IP. He was added to the Royals 40-Man roster this past winter, which should line him up for an MLB debut later this season.
On the surface, Cameron’s arsenal doesn’t seem too interesting with its low 90s velocity, but digging deeper we can uncover one of the craftiest lefties in MiLB. His fastball is underwhelming; there is no escaping that. It features below average velocity, extension, and ride, but he elevates its effectiveness by locating it up and away from batters. He dances around the heart of the zone and rarely wastes any fastballs. His superb command has allowed its poor shape to comfortably survive MiLB hitting.
Cameron’s changeup is his bread and butter. Its late sinking action and fastball-mimicking arm speed makes it a troublesome pitch for RHH. He is comfortable throwing it in all counts and his tendency to locate it low and away generates plenty of chases and whiffs.
Here is an example of his changeup:
Cameron rounds out his arsenal with a trio of breaking balls: a cutter, a curveball, and a new slider. His cutter is exclusively used against RHH, most often early and behind in counts to get ahead or even. Command has been a consistent theme for Cameron, and his cutter is yet another example, he locates it on the inner third which helps jam batters and induce weak contact. His curveball and slider are platoon neutral offerings which Cameron mixes in while ahead in the count to stay ahead and put away batters. Each of his breaking balls have returned +30.0 Whiff% in AAA thus far.
Cameron falls into the bucket of “crafty lefty with a great changeup”, and that may be all he needs to succeed in the Majors. He flashed some improved velocity in Spring Training, but it hasn’t carried over fully to his AAA starts. I expect him to get the call sometime this summer, where he joins fellow LHPs Kris Bubic and Cole Ragans in an exciting Royals rotation.
Ian Seymour
Ian Seymour falls into that same bucket as Noah Cameron being a “crafty lefty with a good changeup”, yet Seymour supplements it with a much better fastball. Seymour currently holds a 2.49 ERA and 26.7 K-BB% in AAA this season, and is running a gaudy 38.0 Whiff% to back it up.
Seymour’s fastball is slower than Cameron’s fastball, but its other traits help it teeter on plus status. He meticulously locates the offering high in the zone where its above average ride (iVB) for his slot allows it to hover above bats as batters swing right through it. He is not afraid to throw the pitch in any count and consistently uses it as a put away offering. The biggest downside of his fastball approach is his tendency to allow hard contact on the pitch, similar to pitchers like Joe Ryan and Bryce Miller.
Here is an example of his fastball:
Seymour’s changeup, similar to Cameron, will likely dictate his future as a starter in MLB. It’s movement differential from his fastball and his tendency to locate it low and away to RHH is magical and makes it one of the most valuable pitches in AAA. He is also not afraid to use the offering vs LHH while ahead in the count.
Seymour’s go-to breaking ball is his cutter which sits in the mid 80s with minimal horizontal movement and +2” to +8” of iVB. It’s lack of HB makes it a platoon neutral option that Seymour opts to use early in counts to pick up called strikes. He rounds out his arsenal with a pair of slow-moving breaking balls, a sweeper against LHH and a curveball vs RHH.
Seymour has dominated MiLB since his pro-debut in 2021, and it is just a matter of time before the Rays require his services this season.
Adam Mazur
We got a glimpse of Adam Mazur in MLB with San Diego prior to the trade that sent him to Miami last trade deadline. His work with the Marlins pitching staff over the winter seems to have breathed new life into his arsenal as his stuff looks vastly improved and his results in AAA reflect that.
Mazur’s fastball was his weakest offering last season. It sat in the mid 90s with dead-zone shape and below average extension, resulting in a poor 92 tjStuff+. In 2025, his fastball is exhibiting much more ride (+1.5” iVB) which has helped push it to an above average pitch according to stuff (103 tjStuff+). Mazur is also doing a solid job at locating his fastball on the outer third as his primary offering vs LHH. Whiffs will likely be tough to come by given its shape and location, but it has been effective at generating strikes early in the count.
Mazur’s slider has been his best performing pitch throughout his pro-career, and it is more of the same this season. He drastically increased its usage, however part of that is attributed to a new sweeper. The sweeper (classified as a slider) sits 83-85 MPH with ~12” glove-side movement and a minimal drop. It grades out well and should be effective as a put away offering against RHH.
Mazur’s departure from his 4-Seam fastball in favour of his other offerings could be the key to his success. It’s not uncommon for a pitcher to drastically improve their fastball and then throw it less often, especially when they have a wide array of secondaries to fall back on. He has the arsenal to mix and match against any handedness of batter, and his early results indicate that these changes are for the better.
The Marlins rotation is in dire need of help as they ranked 29th with a 6.00 ERA and Mazur has all the tools to help them out right now.
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