Booser goes from injury prone footballer to baseball prospect

CEDAR RAPIDS – Analytical numbers are fine and great and everything. But you still need good old-fashioned scouting to be a successful baseball franchise.

While everyone else saw Cameron Booser as this thick-bodied pitcher who was always injured, Minnesota Twins scout Trevor Brown saw what could be if Booser ever stayed healthy.

Left-handers who can bring it 95 miles per hour on a regular basis are a valued commodity. That's the kind of heat Booser has been bringing out of the bullpen this season for the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

'He's got a big-time arm,” said Kernels Manager Jake Mauer. 'He's a guy that tools-wise is through the roof. If we can get him to harness it and be consistent with the breaking ball … he's a very intense young man. That's what they look like at the back end of the bullpen. He's doing all the right things. He's working hard.”

Booser, who turns 23 Monday, was more known for his prowess on the football field in high school in Tacoma, Wash. He stopped playing because of injuries, fell in love with baseball and ended up signing with Oregon State University.

Never really a pitcher until he got to OSU, Booser came down with a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament that required Tommy John surgery after his freshman season. He missed the entire 2011-12 season and ended up at Central Arizona junior college, where he didn't pitch much.

Still, Brown was intrigued enough to convince the Twins to sign Booser as a free agent in mid-August 2013.

'I've just never been healthy at all,” Booser said. 'I ended up playing summer ball in 2013, and a scout saw me. He signed me. For the most part, the Twins were the only team to talk to me. I flew under the radar quite a bit. The scout that signed me, I still keep in contact with him quite a bit. He's a real good guy. I was fortunate enough to meet him, he liked me, and I'm lucky enough to be here now.”

Booser threw in 19 games last season for Rookie-level Elizabethton and put up OK numbers. He gave up an unbelievable 15 unearned runs in 31 1/3 innings.

He had another procedure done on his left elbow this past offseason, with bone fragments being removed, and his arm has never felt better. His numbers in Cedar Rapids show that.

Booser is 1-0 with two saves and a 0.90 earned run average in six appearances. He has allowed just five hits in 10 innings and struck out 18.

'Last season, in short-season ball, I was able to stay healthy for the most part,” Booser said. 'I look forward to playing my first full season with the Twins. I'm 100 percent for the first time since I've been pitching.”

'if he can keep spinning it, keep the ball down, he's going to be pretty good,” Mauer said. 'Our scout saw him and liked him, we signed him and got him cleaned up. This is the first time he's been healthy in probably four or five years. That's a feather in the cap of the scouts, obviously. They believed in what they saw. Knock on wood, if he can stay healthy, he's got a pretty good arm.”

LOCAL/AREA PLAYERS IN PRO BASEBALL

- Chad Christensen (Cedar Rapids Washington): Outfielder went into Saturday hitting .271 in 18 games for high-Class A Fort Myers (Twins). Had pair of three-hit games last week.

- Jon Keller (Cedar Rapids Xavier): Pitcher is 1-1 with a save and 1.84 earned run average for high-A Frederick (Orioles) of the South Atlantic League. Threw three shutout innings in his last appearance last week against Salem.

- Derrick Loveless (Solon): Outfielder is hitting .279 in 18 games for high-A Dunedin (Blue Jays) of the Florida State League. Has a home run, six RBIs and a pair of stolen bases in 61 at-bats.

- Colin Rea (Cascade): Continues to pitch well for Double-A San Antonio (Padres), with 0-1 record and 1.29 ERA in four starts. Has allowed just 25 hits/walks combined in 28 innings and has struck out 22.

- Scott Schebler (Cedar Rapids Prairie): Outfielder is hitting .221 in 20 games (68 at-bats) for Triple-A Oklahoma City (Dodgers). Has five home runs and nine RBIs.

- Jake Yacinich (University of Iowa): Shortstop had back-to-back multi-hit games last week for low-A Burlington (Angels) of Midwest League. Season batting average of .273 in 18 games (77 at-bats) for the former West Des Moines Dowling prep.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com