The Red Sox have selected Georgia Tech shortstop Kristian Campbell with the 132nd overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Boston received that pick as compensation for extending a qualifying offer to and then losing longtime shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency over the winter.
Campbell, 21, was regarded by Baseball America as the No. 255 prospect in this year’s draft class. After redshirting as a freshman in 2022, the right-handed hitter batted .376/.484/.549 with 16 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 24 RBIs, 50 runs scored, four stolen bases, 17 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 45 games (217 plate appearances) for the Yellow Jackets this past season.
A native of Georgia himself, Campbell’s “calling card is his elite contact rate,” per his Baseball America scouting report. He “crowds the plate and hits against a slightly closed off front side. He has plus hand speed that allows him to turn on pitches that sometimes look like they might hit him, and sprays the ball all over the yard.”
Elsewhere, the 6-foot-3, 203-pounder “is a plus runner and while it is yet to be seen where he fits best defensively, whether that be on the dirt or in the outfield, his profile is a bit similar to Georgia Tech’s 2022 slash-and-dash specialist Chandler Simpson. Campbell isn’t quite the runner Simpson is, and his power ceiling is certainly higher given his wiry frame, but he has some of the same defensive questions as Simpson did. Regardless, Campbell’s speed will help him succeed in an outfield spot if that is where an organization decides to use him.”
Campbell, who does not turn 22 until next June, becomes the fourth position player taken by Boston within the club’s first five picks. The 132nd overall selection in this year’s draft comes with a recommended slot value of $492,700.
(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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