A Modesto baseball player could have a big decision to make this summer
Whether it’s a high school or travel baseball game, Cameron Butler said before games, he sits in the dugout and visualizes his at-bats and fielding ground balls at shortstop.
“I just kind of like to sit down and close my eyes and visualize myself,” said the Big Valley Christian High School senior.
Butler said he mimics his playing style around Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner.
“I’m definitely more of a high-energy personality,” Butler said. “Trea Turner is electric on the field. I want to make things happen and not necessarily show up the other team but, you know, I want them to know my presence.”
Opponents have known the 6-foot, 180-pound infielder’s presence all year.
He’s among nation’s leaders, according to MaxPreps, in batting average (.741), home runs (15), RBIs (61) and slugging percentage (1.641).
With his season officially over after the Lions played Mariposa County on Thursday (Butler had two home runs and seven RBIs in a 13-3 Lions’ win), the infielder’s mind has shifted to perhaps the biggest decision of his life: College or pro?
Butler has signed with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo but could be selected in the July 11-13 Major League Baseball Draft. So, he has a couple of months until the decision.
It will come down to multiple factors, including how much money he’s offered, said Mark Butler, Cameron’s dad.
In the MLB Draft, each pick is assigned a slot value (money value per pick) but teams can offer above or below value to players.
Last year, Tyler Soderstrom was drafted in the first round by the Oakland Athletics and signed for $3.3 million, which was nearly $700,000 over the slot value for the pick ($2,653,400)
The decision has worked out for Soderstrom, who is playing with the Stockton Ports.
While Butler isn’t projected as a first-round pick (most mock drafts online are only for the first round), he’s garnered plenty of interest from scouts recently and has held private workouts at Big Valley.
At least five scouts were attendance during the Lions’ game against Linden on May 19.
“I think there’s a stress with the unknown of what’s going to happen,” Mark said. “And honestly, two years ago I was just saying to myself, ‘I hope my son plays college baseball somewhere, because I think he’s good enough.’ ”
Mark Butler said he told his son to simply focus on what he can control.
“Just put your head down, work hard and at the end of the day, you’re going to have a good option one way or the other,” he said.
The father-son bond
Mark Butler, who played at Modesto Christian and Modesto Junior College, has coached Cameron since he started playing baseball at 8 years old.
Once Cameron reached middle school, he started telling his dad it was time to work out, something the elder Butler used to say plenty in the past.
“Maybe since seventh or eighth grade, it’s been ‘Hey dad, can you pitch to me or can you hit me grounders,” Mark said. “At some point, something flipped to where he wanted to put the work in.”
Cameron played his first two years of high school at Modesto Christian, where Mark was the head coach. Cameron said it can be difficult to be coached by a parent, including conversations that “can be heated.”
However, parents “always know what’s best,” Cameron said.
After his sophomore year, Cameron transferred to Big Valley Christian.
It was a “family decision” according to Mark and while Cameron could have transferred to a higher-profile baseball program, Mark said, it’s easier for scouts to find talent through social media and events such as Area Code Games (Butler and Turlock’s Dominic Rodriguez played in the 2020 showcase in Atlanta).
The Area Code Games are an annual five-day showcase with some of the best high school players in the country. Scouts from MLB teams and NCAA coaches attend the event.
Cameron said there is pressure to perform at his best when scouts attend his games but “as soon as I step on the field, I just kind of let it go.”
Navigating the pandemic
With the coronavirus pandemic shutting down the high school sports year last spring and then canceling summer travel ball tournaments, Butler, like lots of athletes, was stuck working out at home.
His travel team, NorCal Valley, held workouts but didn’t play in tournaments until September.
“In the fall, we had to travel out of state to play so he was in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Washington, and he went to Arizona a couple of times,” Mark said. “The biggest thing he did over the last year and a half was develop. Even though there wasn’t as many games, there was more time for practice and drills.”
Cameron said hanging out in hotels during travel tournaments is one of his favorite memories from his baseball career.
“Cam is just a great guy and a great teammate,” said Central Catholic senior Tyler Van Dyk, Butler’s teammate with NorCal Valley who signed with Stanislaus State. “ He’s always looking to help out a teammate and friend in every way possible, and it’s an easy sight to see that he cares for each and everyone of the people he plays with.”
Last ride
Next week, Butler will travel to Washington to play for a summer baseball team until the draft.
After the draft, he will either sign with a team or continue the summer season with the team before enrolling with Cal Poly SLO. Butler said he had other schools who were interested him, including Arizona and UCLA.
Before the stressful time, Butler will spend some down time hanging out with friends including one of his favorite hobbies ...fishing with Van Dyk.
The future is unclear but Butler is remaining calm and composed.
It’s all in the visualization.
