Cameron on Cameron

The National League is seeing some terrific performances from a few center fielders this season. Nate McLouth got to his first all-star game with a great first half, while Rick Ankiel has continued to write the script for a Hollywood movie with his successful comeback. And, of course, there’s Carlos Beltran, flying under the radar as a star who no one ever talks about.

But unless you live in Milwaukee, you might not realize that Mike Cameron is quietly putting together another pretty terrific season himself. Yes, he’s hitting .235, so if you’re stuck on batting average, he’s not the player for you. However, he does so many other things well that the batting average simply doesn’t tell the story.

Cameron’s .825 OPS is built upon a lot of power – he’s hit 15 home runs in just 226 at-bats, obviously quite happy to be liberated from Petco Park, where he spent the last two years. The low average is somewhat offset by a solid walk rate, giving him a .330 on base percentage that’s more than respectable considering his power and the position he plays.

In fact, if you didn’t know Cameron was 35 years old, there would be no reason to think he’s supposed to be declining in skills. Take a look at his production since 1999, when he first established himself as a major league hitter.

A few dips along the way, but basically, he has sustained a similar level of performance for the past ten years. Even an increasing strikeout rate hasn’t been able to lower his offensive output, as he’s simply just doing more with the ball when he does make contact to offset the swings and misses.

Mike Cameron has spent most of his career being under appreciated, so it’s not a big surprise that baseball still doesn’t realize just valuable he is. The Brewers signed him to a 1 year deal for $7 million this year and a team option for $10 million next year – they’re a smart organization, so they’ll probably pick that option up, and continue to have one of the game’s more productive CFs under contract at a bargain rate.