Red Sox
“That’s been the goal the whole time, to compete.”
Kristian Campbell could not be stopped last summer.
Drafted by Boston in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech, Campbell was tabbed as a solid contact hitter whose versatility could make him a valuable asset on Alex Cora’s roster in due time.
At least, such was the sentiment before last year.
In a Red Sox farm system loaded with young talent, Campbell has quickly asserted himself as a potential franchise pillar alongside Roman Anthony — due in large part to a meteoric rise in the eyes of talent evaluators.
And if the 2024 campaign was any indication, Campbell’s blistering production at the plate could have been etched in the Red Sox’ lineup card as soon as Opening Day.
“For sure — that’s the goal,” Campbell said of breaking camp with the Red Sox during Tuesday’s Red Sox Rookie Development Program. “That’s been the goal the whole time, to compete. I love competing. The point of baseball is to compete. So I think that’s one of my goals.”
Even though Anthony holds court as baseball’s No. 1 prospect in the eyes of both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, Campbell is not far behind.
Baseball America tabbed Campbell as their “Prospect of the Year” for the 2024 season, while Baseball Prospectus listed him as the No. 3 prospect in baseball for the upcoming season.
All it takes is a quick glance at Campbell’s stat line to see just why the infielder’s stock has spiked in short order.
In the span of just one season, Campbell advanced from High-A Greenville to Triple-A Worcester, slashing .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs, 32 doubles, 77 RBI, and 24 steals across three levels and 115 total games.
While his aggressive swing yielded a high contact rate against collegiate competition, the Red Sox development staff made it a priority for Campbell to tap into more power through those high-powered hacks.
The 6-foot-3, 191-pound slugger may not boast the most imposing frame, but that high contact rate and strong bat speed had him teeing off against pitching at just about every level.
“I think he’s talked about his power. He’s really strong,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said Tuesday. “He impacts the baseball really hard, but the power has been something that has come a little bit later for him in his career.
“So hitting the ball in the air consistently, pull side, but still being able to manipulate the barrel so he can drive the ball the other way as well, has been something that I know he’s really found a lot of value in. And hey, if you hit the ball over the fence, that’s something that we really like, and we can find you a spot in the lineup somewhere.”
Campbell may be hammering pitches into the Green Monster seats as soon as this April.
Beyond the fact that Campbell seemingly thrived at every level of competition last season (.362 batting average in Portland, 17 RBI in 19 games with Worcester), his profile and position might accelerate his path to the big leagues before Anthony.
With the Red Sox both in need of more pop at the plate from the right side and without a proven option at second base, Anthony could make a push for regular MLB reps this spring if he performs well down at Fort Myers.
Even if Boston were to address some critical deficiencies in their lineup by signing a right-handed infielder like Alex Bregman, Campbell could also be moved to a corner-outfield spot if his bat offers up enough value.
“Kristian continues to improve, continues to get better, get stronger, hit the baseball hard, play good defense,” Abraham said. “The versatility that he provides on the defensive side has been really great.
“So we’re excited to see what he continues to do, what he continues to improve upon. And I know for him, challenging himself to get better every day is a big piece of what he believes in.”
It’s been a whirlwind year for Campbell, who was once tabbed as Boston’s (not MLB’s) 30th-ranked prospect back in June. Now, he could quickly become a key cog in Cora’s lineup in just a few months.
For Campbell, the priority is not to change all that much — despite the added pressure and hype.
It’s hard to argue with the results thus far.
“It’s really just trying to keep everything simple as possible, and trying not to overthink it,” Campbell said. “Baseball is gonna be baseball. There’s a lot of ups, a lot of downs, but if you stay right in the middle and stay narrow-headed, everything will be fine.”
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