KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- As part of MLBPipeline.com's visit to all 30 Spring Training facilities this month, we will be sitting down with prospects and getting to know them a little better. At Astros camp, it was No. 5 prospect Daz Cameron.
Taken No. 37 overall by the Astros in the 2015 Draft, Cameron received a $4 million bonus to sign. The son of former big leaguer Mike Cameron, Daz had a solid pro debut and is preparing for full-season ball in 2016.
MLBPipeline.com: It's your first Spring Training as a professional. Obviously, you had some idea what it was about. How has it been what you expected and how has it been different than what you thought it would be like?
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Cameron: I expected that we'd get up early in the morning -- I get up at 6 to get to the park at 7 -- I kind of already knew that part about it, with my dad being around the game a lot. What I didn't expect… I knew Spring Training was going to be pretty hard, but I didn't think it would be this hard. It's just about getting your work in.
MLB Pipeline Spring Training reports
MLBPipeline.com: The start of a pro career can be kind of unglamorous. You played in the Gulf Coast League and the Rookie-level Appalachian League. Was the transition to that difficult?
Cameron: It wasn't that difficult for me. I kind of knew what it was going to be like. The GCL, we'd get up in the morning to work out, early. Then we'd play a game in the day time. It was really hot, there were no fans. It was kind of different. That's just the way baseball is, you have to start from the bottom and work your way up. When I got to the Appy League with Greeneville, it was a different atmosphere, a better atmosphere. I'm glad I got that experience. I had fun last year and we won the championship, so it was exciting.
MLBPipeline.com: Because you guys are both high school outfielders from the same Draft, you and Kyle Tucker will always be lumped together in some ways. Do you see that as a good thing, that you'll be able to go through this process at the same time?
Cameron: I think it's good for us. I know we're two different players, but I like the way Kyle plays. As long as we're doing whatever it takes to help the team, I'm not worried about comparisons. He's my teammate. It's just about us going out there and competing. Sometimes we get after it. We compete a little bit. But that's OK, that's part of it. He's a good guy and we're on the same page. When we got up to Greeneville, it was kind of like that. I got up there and got a base hit, then he got up there and got a base hit. It was fun, going back and forth like that. I'm excited to see what's going to happen this year. It's going to be great because we both worked hard this offseason. It should be fun.
MLBPipeline.com: You were a top prospect for a long time, well before your Draft year, and were even described as a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the year leading up to the 2015 Draft. Is there a sense of relief that you can put all of that behind you now?
Cameron: I'm beyond glad. Now I can just go play and do me. I know what I can do. I can be myself and it feels great not to have to worry about that anymore. Now I can just go out and play baseball, like I did in the summer. I feel like I'm going to have a good year. It's going to be a lot of fun.
MLBPipeline.com: As much as you can just be one of the guys now, as long as you have Cameron on the back of your jersey, people will know you as Mike's son. You've always handled that well. Do you still see it as a positive, or do you get tired of people talking about it?
Cameron: I see it as a positive. There are pros and cons about it, but I see it as a positive. But I want to do well for myself, make a name for myself. I know my dad is who he is -- I want to make him proud, of course -- but first and foremost, I want to make myself proud.