From Cam Devanney’s earliest days on the diamond at Central Catholic, Hall of Fame Raiders baseball coach Marc Pelletier could see that special something in his blossoming star’s eyes.
“There is love of the sport and then there is passion,” said Pelletier. “Cam epitomized the latter. I’ve said it a million times, when your most talented player is also your hardest worker, only good things become part of their future.”
For Devanney, that future is now the major leagues.
The former Central superstar was promoted to “The Show,” by the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, and was on the active roster for their home clash with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Kaufman Stadium.
“(This is a) thrilling day for Cam, his family and the many coaches and teammates along the way that supported his baseball journey,” said Pelletier. “One of my rats made it to the Bigs. … He deserves all the accolades that follow.”
This marks the first major league promotion for Devanney, who was tearing it up for the Royals’ triple-A affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers. The 28-year-old shortstop/utility man was hitting .272 with 18 homers and 55 RBI in 69 games for the Storm Chasers before his promotion. He ranked third in homers and tied for fourth in RBIs in the International League.
Devanney — who grew up in Amherst, N.H. — was a four-year starter and three-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star for Central Catholic (class of 2015), where he hit .360 for his career and was an All-Scholastic and two-time MVC Player of the Year. Pelletier called him, “A pro prospect because of a tremendous work ethic” in his senior Eagle-Tribune All-Star write-up.
“Great players make great coaches, and Cam certainly falls in that category,” said Pelletier, who spent 30 years as Raiders baseball coach before retiring in 2018. “We won banners and made deep runs into the state tournament while Cam wore our colors, and Central Catholic is surely proud of this Raider.”
Devanney then played three seasons for Division 1 Elon (N.C.) University where he hit .335 with 10 homers and 52 RBIs as a junior, before being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 15th round — No. 463 overall — in the 2019 MLB Draft.
He spent four seasons in the Brewers organization, before being traded to the Kansas City organization before the 2024 season. He impressed in his first season for the Storm Chasers, hitting .254 with 19 homers, 77 RBIs and 66 runs scored.
Devanney came flying out of the gates this season, hitting .395 with three homers and 11 RBIs in April, then adding seven homers and 26 RBIs in May. A month later, he finally received his big league promotion.
While he wasn’t in the starting lineup on Tuesday, he was available to play, on a roster alongside emerging superstar Bobby Witt Jr., who was just named to his second All-Star Game, and potential Hall of Famer and World Series MVP Salvador Perez.
“The kid is in the Bigs,” said Pelletier. “He’s in, ‘The Show,’ and every baseball player that ever played for Central Catholic is with him in spirit. I wish him well. Go Royals!”
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