Miami Marlins select Clemson OF Cam Cannarella in 2025 MLB Draft

The Miami Marlins have selected Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella with the 43rd pick in the compensatory round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Cannarella was a standout player for the Tigers the past three seasons, including an impressive junior year.

He batted .353 overall with five home runs, 47 RBI and an on-base percentage of .479 in 61 games this past season. Cannarella ended the campaign with a hit in 22 consecutive games, including going 8-of-14 at the plate in the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

Overall in his career with the Tigers, Cannarella batted .360 and had 262 hits, 23 home runs and 159 RBI. He was also well known-for his defense. He made several eye-popping grabs in the outfield, including one memorable one in a 2023 Super Regional against Florida.

Canarella played high school baseball for Harstville (SC) and was No. 12 player in the state according to Perfect Game. He immediately stepped into a key role during his first season in 2023, going on to earn Freshman All-American honors as well as first team All-ACC.

The outfielder would go on to earn third-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore and then second team All-ACC this past season. He’s certainly helped bring a lot of success to Clemson the past three seasons and will now look to do the same with his new team in the MLB.

What MLB Draft analysts are saying about Cam Cannarella

MLB.com provided some additional analysis on Cannarella in its recent scout on the outfielder’s draft profile. It noted some concern about a slow start to the 2025 season for him after recovering from shoulder surgery in July.

However, it did mention that he picked it up as a hitter over the back half of the season, including the NCAA Tournament. Overall, Cannarella seems like a player with a lot of strengths to offer at the next level, but he isn’t without his question marks.

“Cannarella possesses some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Draft, making line-drive contact to all fields from the left side of the plate,” MLB.com wrote in its report. “He does venture out of the strike zone at times and gets himself out on suboptimal groundball contact more than he should. He has some bat speed but lacks physicality, so there’s some question if he’ll have more than modest pull power and max out at 12-15 homers per season.

“After using his plus speed to steal 24 bases as a freshman, Cannarella went just 6-for-12 swiping bags the last two years while avoiding putting stress on his shoulder by sliding. He’s a no-doubt center fielder who covers plenty of ground with his quickness and efficient routes. His arm graded as below average before his injury, and he recorded just four outfield assists in 178 college games.”