Noah Cameron battling for fifth rotation spot for the Kansas City Royals in Spring Training

SURPRISE, AZ (KQTV) -- The Kansas City Royals begin Spring Training games on Friday, Feb. 20, in Surprise, Arizona.

St. Joseph native Noah Cameron enters his second season in the big leagues pitching for the Kansas City Royals. This time Spring Training feels a lot different for the Central High School alum. 

Instead of trying to make an impression on the team, Cameron appears to have the inside track to make the fifth rotation spot on the Royals, based on what he proved last season. A season in which Cameron won Royals Pitcher of the Year as a rookie. Cameron went 9-7 with a 2.99 ERA in 24 starts for the Royals, the lowest mark among American League rookies in 2025 with a minimum of 20 starts. 

With less pressure on Cameron this time around, manager Matt Quatraro says now Noah has the opportunity to really work on the precision of his pitches. 

"He had a great rookie season, I think now it's the cat and mouse game. It's back and forth, people have seen him now, people understand what he does, and he's going to have to continue to adapt," said Quatraro. "It's no different than anyone else. You want to help their stuff get better, their locations get better, not giving things away, not making sure that he's protecting all the tips and all those kinds of things that all the pitchers try to work on. But more than anything, it's just being consistent and letting his stuff play in the zone."

The Royals open Spring Training competition on Friday, February 20th against the Texas Rangers at 2:05 pm in Surprise, Arizona.