Monett’s Witt lands job with Marlins organization

By Jared Lankford [email protected]

Missouri baseball fans fall mostly into one of two camps — they are multi-generational St. Louis Cardinals fans, or they cheer on the 1960s upstart Kansas City Royals.

However, baseball fans in Monett may have a third rooting option with one of their own landing the job of a lifetime.

This spring, Monett alumnus Cameron Witt will serve as the hitting instructor for the FCL (Florida Complex League) Marlins, the rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins, based in Jupiter, Florida.

“I’m excited, very excited,” Witt said. “Ever since I got into coaching, I’ve just been super passionate about player development and know what that looks like. I’ve been very fortunate to work with the people that I’ve worked with and worked underneath. 

“I still stand by that to this day in my coaching career, I think Joey Hawkins coming to Missouri State was probably one of the best things that’s happened for me in my career, because he was a guy that came from pro ball and very much instilled a pretty pro ball lead development plan. So, I’ve kind of got to see what that looked like. And now, I get to see that at the professional level.”

Witt was chosen out of a pool of over 100 candidates.

The process of weeding through the applications and interviews was tedious for Witt, but he stuck it out.

“Obviously, when you get a position like that, it is definitely a competitive process,” Witt said. “I actually had a buddy that I coached with at Missouri State. He actually sent it to me when it got posted. He said I should apply. So I sent an application and everything. Then, didn’t really hear anything for a few weeks. So, I kind of, you know, just kind of let it be, and then before you know it, I get an email here and there from some people within their player development department and asked to fill out surveys and things like that. 

“Then finally, I got on the phone with Joe Migliaccio, Marlins hitting director. We kind of just talked for a while, and then after that, got put on a zoom interview with him and some other coaches throughout the minor league organization. Then, I had another phone call or two with Joe. That was pretty much it. They offered me the job, and I was all in.”

Witt began to feel the itch to coach baseball while still in high school.

“I always knew, especially as I went through my years in high school, I maybe wanted to coach,” Witt said. “I didn’t really have a specific level that I was really focused on, but I knew I wanted to coach in some capacity. Once I went through my first year at Crowder, I knew that I kind of wanted to stay in college. I really liked the college atmosphere of coaching,”

Helping players improve is its own reward for the former Cub. He said he chose baseball as his favorite sport because of its unique challenges.

“I think with baseball, there’s so much failure that goes into it, and it’s just one of those things that you can do all the things right, and still come up short.,” Witt said. “So, when dealing with so much failure, it really makes you appreciate the successes a whole lot more. I think that’s definitely a piece of it. There’s just so many different ways that you can impact the game. 

“As a player, I know everyone wants to hit home runs and score, and that’s all good, but there’s just so many different ways. You can be exactly who you are. You don’t have to try and be Aaron Judge. You can be exactly who you are and be a really good player.”

A standout athlete in his own right, Witt was a force for the Cubs baseball team.

“Cameron is all over our record books and is, if not the best, definitely one the best players to ever play for Monett High School,” said Michael Calhoun, Monett baseball coach. “ Cameron had a relentless work ethic who was constantly trying to improve his all-around skills. But, hitting was his passion. I know it has always been his dream to be a part of professional baseball. 

“After his college career had completed he started the journey into coaching. Because of his hard work and talent to work with hitters he has earned the opportunity to work as an hitting instructor for the Miami Marlins. I am so proud of not only the professional he has become, but the young man. I am so excited to see how this path progresses and how far he can go.”

By the time he graduated Monett, and to this day, Witt is the school’s all-time leader in games played (108), runs (128), RBI (86), hits (124), doubles (28), walks (85) and total bases (168). He also holds the career mark for games pitched (42) and innings pitched (203.3). He is Monett’s single season record holder in runs (42) and walks (26).

Upon graduation, Witt played at Crowder College in Neosho, where he was a two-time NJCAA Academic All-American. He played in 64 games his rookie season, posting a .281 batting average with two home runs, 25 RBI and 48 runs. Witt helped the Roughriders qualify for the NJCAA Division 1 World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., for just the second time in program history.

Witt played for Campbell University and helped the Camels win a Big South Championship in 2019 before becoming a graduate assistant for Missouri State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 2021 and a master’s degree in sport’s management in 2023.

In 2024, Witt was hired as the hitting coach for Akron University.

Now with the step up to the big leagues, Witt will put all his skills to the test.

“I’m responsible for each individual guy’s individual player development,” he said. “So obviously we have certain objectives and benchmarks, or KPIs. In terms of hitting, you’re trying to do whatever you can to help each guy meet those benchmarks. That way, in a perfect world, they get bumped up, promoted to the next level, whatever it is. 

“It’s completely different from college ball. You don’t get the fall season you get spring training, and then you roll right into it. On a daily basis, you’re meeting with guys individually, you’re hitting with guys individually and putting together daily routines for guys depending on what they need to work on, what they need to improve with. Obviously, you’re preparing the whole group in terms of scouting reports on who they’re facing that night. There’s so much video now, there’s so much technology. So, you’ve got all the data and everything that you could want at your hands. Now you have to be careful with it, because too much can sure be a lot for the player. So really, my job is to take all of it and simplify it as much as possible. That way, I can give it to the player in a way that’s very simple for them that way, when they go to compete.”