Prospect Watch: Cam Vieaux Showing All Qualities You Want in a Starter
When talking about Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Cam Vieaux, Altoona Curve Manager Michael Ryan put it best. "He got ahead of hitters and we were in every game he pitched," said Ryan. "He always gave us a chance to win and that's all you can ask of a young starting pitcher." Vieaux, a product of Michigan State, has spent the last four seasons climbing the ladder in the Pirates Minor League system. He made it one step closer to the Majors last season when he got his feet wet with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, pitching in 13 games for the Tribe. The 26-year old has been consistent throughout his career and was a one-time All-Star back in 2017.
Last season, he split the year between Doble-A and Triple-A making 13 starts at each level. Partly due to success and partly due to injury needs, Vieaux joined the Tribe starting rotation and the transition was less than optimal for the left-hander as he posted a career-high 5.05 ERA in those 13 starts. For a guy who had kept his ERA under four for all but one season of his professional career, the struggles were new territory and something he would have to work through. He was sent back down to Double-A for his final four starts of the season and finished the season on a high note, and headed into the off-season determined to make it back to the Indians starting rotation.
Vieaux's baseball journey started in his hometown of Novi, Michigan, and Walled Lake Western High School. Vieaux had always shown great athletic ability and was a three-sport athlete for the Warriors, playing football (wide receiver), basketball, and baseball. However, baseball was by far his best sport and was the one he would stick with at Michigan State as he pursued a political science major. After Red Shirting his freshman year, Vieaux came back strong in his Red Shirt Freshman season for the Spartans. He went 6-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 70.2 innings of work and caught the eyes of Major League scouts. He followed that up with another solid year his Sophomore season, going 4-7 with a 3.49 ERA, and it led to him hearing his name called in the 2015 MLB Draft.
He was selected in the 19th round of the draft by the Detroit Tigers but didn't sign as he wanted to finish out his college education. This turned out to be a wise decision for Vieaux as he was the Spartan's top pitcher during his Junior season and proved it on the mound. He went 7-4 with a 2.28 ERA in 15 games, 14 starts, for the Spartans while striking out an impressive 77 batters in 87 innings of work. With his Political Science Major wrapped up, Vieaux was ready to begin his professional baseball career and would be officially drafted in the 6th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
With his college experience behind him, Vieaux was sent to the Class-A Short Season West Virginia Black Bears to begin his career. His first professional start did not go so well as he lasted just 2.2 innings of work giving up two runs on three hits but luckily picked up a no-decision. However, Vieaux would soon shake-off those early-season struggles and had a successful season, going 2-2 with a 3.33 ERA. He showed decent command walking 21 batters in 67.1 innings of work and limited the number of hits he allowed with 63. He wasn't a guy who was going to strike out a lot of batters, with a fastball topping out in the upper 80s to lower 90s, but fanned his fair share of batters with 52 strikeouts. He ended the year with three straight starts of giving up just one earned run and proved to himself and the Pirates that he could be a professional pitcher.
Because of his success, Vieaux would be promoted to the Class Low-A West Virginia Power to start the 2017 season. It was another strong start for Vieaux as he allowed one earned run and lasted at least four innings in his first seven starts. It was the start of what would be a great run with the Power as he went 2-3 with a 2.73 ERA in 11 starts. His strikeout rate stayed low as he struck out just 33 batters in 62.2 innings of work while walking a career-low 13 batters. He also continued to allow less hits than innings pitched, with 61 hits allowed, and he earned a promotion to Advanced-A Bradenton by the end of the year. After a strong debut for the Marauders that saw him throw six innings of shutout ball, Vieaux would hit his first bump in the road in his professional career.
In 13 starts with the Marauders, Vieaux went 3-7 with a career-high 4.69 ERA sin 13 starts. His low velocity got to him as opponents hit .286 against the right-hander and hit eight home runs. He allowed four or more runs in eight of his 13 starts that season. His final two starts saw him give up five earned runs in six innings of work each time out and he headed into the off-season with some more work to do. 2018 would see Vieaux right back with the Bradenton Marauders. After another rough start to the season, Vieaux turned things around over his next eight starts and would finish the year 4-1 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 starts. His strikeout rate was higher than it has ever been with 52 strikeouts in his 54.2 innings of work.
He earned a promotion to Double-A Altoona by June of 2018 and continued the success that he saw in Advanced-A. He made 15 starts with the Curve that season and went 9-5 with a 3.59 ERA in 87.2 innings of work. Of those 15 starts, 11 of them were quality starts and he lasted six innings or more eight times. His strong command followed him to Double-A Altoona as he walked just 17 batters all season. His control is one of the most important things for Vieaux's career given the fact that he is not a high-velocity guy. He has been able to make it work throughout his career and should continue to be effective as he advances through the Pirates Minor League system.
Vieaux was back in Double-A to start the year in 2019 and improved upon his 2018 results. He made nine starts for the Curve over the first two months of the season and turned in seven quality starts and lasted six or more innings six times. Because of his early-season success, he was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis in June and made 13 starts for the Indians. His record was good sitting at 4-2 but he was giving up runs at the highest rate of his career. He had a 5.05 ERA in those 13 starts, but his strikeout rate was at an all-time high for his career with 61 strikeouts in 62.1 innings of work. His final start in Triple-A last season was his best as he threw five shut out innings against the Norfolk Tides.
However, it wasn't enough to keep him with the Indians and he was demoted to Double-A by the end of the season. The demotion seemed to help Vieaux as he got back to his normal self picking up a quality start in each of his final three appearances. He pitched to a 1.33 ERA over those final three starts and headed into the off-season on a positive note. Vieaux is now working towards getting back to Triple-A Indianapolis during the 2020 season. He has had solid numbers at every level of the Minor Leagues and should be able to transfer that success to Indianapolis this season.
Vieaux may not be your lights out top prospect, but he has been a solid starting pitcher in his Minor League career. He combats his slow speed with good command as he is able to put the ball where he wants it most of the time. Vieaux doesn't project out as an ace of a staff by any means, but he could be a decent three or four starter at the MLB level. First, he has to conquer the transition to Triple-A Indianapolis and he should be able to do that this season, if the Minor Leagues get a chance to play. Vieaux has been a solid draft pick so far out of Michigan State and he looks to bring that Spartan pride to the Pirates sooner rather than later.
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