Camden Minacci Propels Unique First Appearance Into Double-A Success

Trash Pandas right-handed pitcher Camden Minacci made his Trash Pandas debut on June 20 where he would pitch in front of the Toyota Field crowd for the first time.

Facing the Biloxi Shuckers in the seventh inning, the first hitter the Orlando native would face at the Double-A level was scripted in the perfect way.

Minacci stood in against his college roommate at Wake Forest and best friend in infielder Brock Wilken. The two played together collegiately at the same time from 2021-2023 until the pair would both be selected in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, Wilken in the first round and Minacci in the sixth.

“It seemed very fitting, I remember jogging in from the bullpen and he was grinning from ear to ear,” Minacci said. “It was a very unique experience, and I was grateful that he was the very first guy I got to face.”

Before the at-bat got serious, the two had the chance to share one more laughing moment.

“The conversation before was he told me to just throw fastballs and I told him no,” Minacci said. “We’ve faced each other a ton and gone back and forth so it was another chapter in our friendship.”

Wilken drew a walk against his former teammate, but Minacci buckled down with a pair of strikeouts for a clean inning to open his Trash Pandas career.

That’s propelled Minacci to a strong start to his Double-A tenure as he holds a 3.18 ERA in 11 bullpen outings with five saves. Adding that last number onto his 11 saves from High-A Tri-City, Minacci is tied for fourth in all of minor league baseball in that category.

As he continues his season in Rocket City, Minacci has kept a similar routine that he had with High-A Tri-City.

“I’ve enjoyed the transition, I’m just trying to show up every day and do the same thing I did in High-A,” Minacci said. “Just using the process that I’ve been using and having it yield good results is promising and exciting.”

Being in the Trash Pandas clubhouse has helped ease the transition between levels for Minacci as the 22-year-old has had the chance to converse with players varying in age.

“It’s a really unique experience, we’ve got guys whose ages range and I feel like I’ve learned a significant amount from both ends,” Minacci said. “Being around guys like Caden Dana and Tyler Payne every day has been instrumental in my adjustment.”

Any questions Minacci has had since his arrival, he’s found the door is always open for bullpen coach Doug Henry and pitching coach Michael Wuertz.

“Getting to sit down in the bullpen with Doug every day and it’s huge to have someone that’s available,” Minacci said. “Both him and Michael are available, every time I’ve had a question, I can ask, and I’ve never been left empty handed about an answer.”

It only took until Minacci’s third appearance with the Trash Pandas for him to record his first Double-A save and he had the opportunity to slam the door 21 times at Wake Forest.

If he gets the chance, the right-hander is ready to “post up” and end the game.

“I always want the ball in the ninth inning and it’s just to post up and win the ballgame,” Minacci said. “ A lot of guys in the first eight innings put us in a good place to win and I’m blessed to have the opportunity to finish it up.”

The lights get even brighter when placed in front of a packed house at Toyota Field and Minacci has felt that energy from the fans early on.

“It’s been exhilarating, we’ve had some really good days, notably the Fourth of July game,” Minacci said. “I feel it every time, you definitely know the difference when you have 7,500 fans in the stands, so the presence of the Trash Panda nation has been felt.”

Pitching in Rocket City has also helped Minacci remember to be grateful for each day he gets to play the game he loves.

“Having fun every day is extremely important to me,” Minacci said. “I don’t want to find myself being upset playing baseball, it’s just a game and it’s a beautiful opportunity so I just want to dive headfirst into every day.”

Minacci credits the way Wake Forest develops players for allowing him to keep playing the game he loves at this level. After Minacci and Wilken went pro, Wake Forest saw three players selected in the top 10 of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft becoming just the second program to ever do so.

Watching the draft unfold from Rocket City, Minacci couldn’t have been happier to be a Demon Deacon.

“The player development they do over there is second to none,” Minacci said. “It proved itself with how many guys they had picked so high, I owe every bit of my success to the development I had at Wake Forest, those were the best three years of my life.”