Miami Marlins Season in Review: Cameron Baranek

Throughout the 2018/2019 offseason, Marlin Maniac will devote one article each for every player who appeared in the Miami Marlins system for the 2018 season. Every. Single. Player. This is Part 189 of 286. Stay tuned.

Cameron Baranek is a 5’10”, 195 lb. center fielder from Orange, California. Born on February 20th, 1995, he was the ninth round pick of the Miami Marlins in 2017, out of Hope International University. He’s the first player drafted from the Hope Royals, in the Garden State Athletic Conference.

As the 269th overall choice, Baranek would be the 10th player to make the major leagues if he gets that far. Darryl Hamilton (1986, Milwaukee Brewers, 16.7 career WAR), Whit Merrifield (2010, Kansas City Royals, 11.0 WAR), and Marty Cordova (1989, Minnesota Twins, 7.7 WAR). lead the group.

Baranek played two seasons of Junior College ball with Santa Ana before attending Hope. In his only season of play for the Royals, he hit .364/.486/.672 with 14 homers and 40 RBI in 53 contests. He also stole 20 bases in 30 tries. You can follow Baranek on Twitter @CameronB25.

After his selection, Baranek signed with the Miami Marlins for a $125,000 bonus, and reported to the GCL Marlins in the rookie-level Florida-based Gulf Coast League. In his first game, on June 26th, he hit an RBI-groundout in the third, an RBI-single in the fifth, an RBI-groundout in the eighth, and drove in the game-winner via HBP in the bottom of the 10th to finish with four RBI in a 5-4 walkoff win over the GCL Mets. He would go on to collect 12 hits in his first 32 at bats. On July 1st, he hit two doubles and a single, stealing a base and scoring twice in a 12-6 loss to the Mets. Baranek ended up slashing .234/.306/.351 through 29 contests before his season came to a premature close.

On Friday, ESPN reported that ninth round selection Cameron Baranek was suspended after testing positive for a stimulant. He was levied a 50-game suspension for the violation. – Michael Napoles, Marlin Maniac

Baranek served his time and came off the restricted list on May 13th and reported to the single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in the South Atlantic League. In 28 games at the new level, he put up a solid .319/.400/.479 slashline, with four round-trippers and 15 RBI. He had 10 multi-hit games while with the club, playing all three outfield positions. On June 13th, in a 7-5 win against the Hickory Crawdads, he hit a single and a grand slam home run. Defensively, he made two errors in 173 innings in the outfield for a .962 fielding percentage. The Miami Marlins pushed Baranek up one level on June 20th, to the high-A Jupiter Hammerheads in the Gulf Coast League.

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Baranek played outfield for the Hammerheads in 54 games through the end of the season, slashing .208/.259/.284 with two homers and 24 RBI. Despite the much larger sample size, he totaled only nine multi-hit games. On July 17th, in a 10-4 win over the Charlotte Stone Crabs, Baranek hit a single and a triple, collecting three RBI and scoring twice. In 419 innings spread across the outfield, he made three errors with 111 putouts and five assists for a .975 fPCT.

Past injuries to Baranek’s neck, ankle, knee, and back may raise some red flags with scouts, but his 70ish speed rating and plus-arm indicate he may yet see time at higher levels. Expect Baranek to begin 2019 with Jupiter.

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