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2022-07-16 23:59:01 By : Mr. Jason Zhang

Shore Conference 2022 MLB Draft Hopeful Profile

College Plans: University of Central Florida

Senior-Year Stats: 47 IP, 4-4, 0.89 ERA, 23 H, 21 BB, 88 K

After the prior generation of Leiters – which includes his uncles Al and Mark and his father, Kurt – put Central Regional baseball on the map in the late 1970’s and early 80’s, Cam Leiter became the first member of his family to don the maroon and gold of Central Regional since Al graduated and was drafted by the Yankees in 1984. Leiter moved with his father from the Vancouver area to Ocean County ahead of his sophomore year of high school and did not debut at Central until his junior season in 2021. Leiter turned in an All-Shore campaign driven by his pitching, which included a sparkling performance in the Ocean County Tournament championship game – a 13-inning win over Brick Memorial in which Leiter pitched into the eighth. Leiter was outstanding on the mound again as a senior and won the Shore Sports Network Player of the Year thanks to a monster season at the plate as well (.487, 11 doubles, 8 home runs).

At present, Leiter has an intriguing arsenal – a fastball that he rushes up to 93 miles-per-hour and two solid secondary offers in a slider and changeup. More than that, though, Leiter is extremely projectable: he is 6-foot-4 with long limbs and a fair amount of athleticism – all traits that suggest a great deal of potential.

Then there is the family tree. The Leiter family has an impressive track record when it comes to producing Major League pitchers, with Cam’s uncles Al and Mark both enjoying long playing careers – Al as an All-Star – and cousin Mark Leiter Jr. currently on the Chicago Cubs roster with another cousin, Jack Leiter, the No. 1 prospect in the Texas Rangers system. Jack Leiter came out of high school with more polish and fanfare with his father, Al, guiding him and Mark took the longer route by going through college and being selected in the 22nd round out of NJIT after a solid high-school career at Toms River North. Cam could be somewhere in the middle: not an early pick, but promising enough to sign right out of high school or transform himself into an early-round pick at UCF.

Leiter has not yet been able to convert his size and natural ability into big-time readings on the radar gun. While his low-90’s velocity would likely land him much higher on draft boards if he were left-handed, right-handers have a higher threshold to meet in order to be selected with an early pick. Leiter has polished up his mechanics over the last year, but he still puts a good deal of effort into his delivery. There isn’t little cause for concern for Leiter and UCF, but Major League clubs know it will take a strong commitment to land Leiter straight out of high school and they might decide to let him continue to improve in college before making it.

Cam Leiter has plenty of knowledge and experience within his family when it comes to draft day and making the decision between college and professional baseball, so he will have a well-laid path whichever way he chooses. The question is, will a team choose him before the end of the 20th round on Tuesday? With the younger generation of Leiters enjoying significant success following college careers, Cam is most likely to go that route.

Other 2022 MLB Draft Hopefuls from the Shore

Noah Dean, Old Dominion (Pinelands)

Liam Simon, Notre Dame (Freehold Twp.)

Alex Iadisernia, Elon (Jackson Memorial)

David Glancy, St. John's (Red Bank Catholic)

Chris Sparber, Louisberg College (Red Bank Catholic)