Tag: kristian campbell

Red Sox inform top prospect Kristian Campbell that he has made Opening Day roster

The Red Sox have informed top prospect Kristian Campbell that he has made the club’s Opening Day roster, as was first reported by Ari Alexander of KPRC 2.

Campbell, who is part of the group traveling to Mexico for an upcoming two-game exhibition series against the Sultanes de Monterrey, was told on Sunday that he will be on the 26-man roster when the Red Sox open the 2025 season against the Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on Thursday.

Campbell, one-third of Boston’s “Big Three” alongside outfielder Roman Anthony and infielder Marcelo Mayer, is expected to be the lone player without any prior major-league experience to make the team’s Opening Day roster, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam. The 22-year-old will need to be added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster before he can officially make his debut.

Unlike Anthony and Mayer, who are also traveling to Mexico but are expected to open the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Worcester, Campbell’s ascension to prospect stardom was rather unforeseen. The Georgia Tech product was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2023 draft and signed for $492,700. He debuted professionally in the Florida Complex League that August and reached High-A Greenville before the season ended.

As previously alluded to, Campbell entered his first full professional season with very little fanfare. Before breaking camp with Greenville last spring, the right-handed hitter had impressed on the back fields of Fenway South after spending much of the offseason in Fort Myers to work on improving his bat speed, strength, and swing path. Still, at this time last year, he was not viewed as one of Boston’s premier prospects.

That perception began to change quickly. Seeing the fruits of his labor, Campbell was promoted from Greenville to Double-A Portland in early June and then reached Worcester by late August. Between the three levels, he slashed a stout .330/.439/.558 with 32 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, 94 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, 74 walks, and 103 strikeouts over 115 total games (517 plate appearances). Among other accolades, he was recognized as Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year, MiLB’s Hitting Prospect and Breakout Player of the Year, and the Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year.

Campbell took part in the Red Sox’ rookie development program over the winter and received his first invite to major-league spring training in January. He arrived at camp as an early favorite to emerge as the club’s everyday second baseman. After splitting time between second base, shortstop, third base, and center field in the minors last year, the versatile 6-foot-3, 210-pounder saw the majority of his reps this spring come at the keystone. Though he struggled some at the plate and batted just .167/.305/.271 in 20 Grapefruit League games (59 plate appearances), Campbell rallied down the stretch by connecting on his first home run of the spring on Saturday and putting together better at-bats over the last week or so.

Despite any concerns they may have about his ability to handle big-league pitching at the moment, the Red Sox — as noted by Cotillo and McAdam — are seemingly prepared to exercise patience with Campbell out of the gate this season as they work to determine his exact role. The possibility remains that Campbell could form a platoon with the left-handed hitting David Hamilton at second base. He is also expected to get some reps in left field after playing there on occasion throughout spring training.

Campbell, who turns 23 in June, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 4 prospect in the sport. Because he is also ranked within ESPN and MLB.com’s top 100 list, Campbell qualifies for the “Prospect Promotion Incentive,” which was introduced by Major League Baseball as part of the collective bargaining agreement that went into effect before the 2022 season.

If Campbell were to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award or finish in the top three of MVP voting this season, the Red Sox would receive a compensatory draft pick after the first round in 2026. If Campbell were not to win Rookie of the Year or finish in the top three of the MVP race in 2025, he would have two more chances to net a pick if he finishes in the top three of MVP voting in 2026 or 2027. He would become ineligible for an additional pick if he were to sign a long-term contract extension before debuting.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year

Top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell has been named Baseball America’s 2024 Minor League Player of the Year, the publication announced on Tuesday.

Campbell enjoyed a meteoric rise in his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Georgia Tech. The 22-year-old was not ranked among Boston’s top 30 prospects by Baseball America to open the 2024 campaign and did not draw too much attention as a result.

After adding strength and overhauling his swing to better impact the baseball over the winter, Campbell broke camp with High-A Greenville this spring. The right-handed hitter batted .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 40 games (177 plate appearances) for the Drive. He was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Month for May and was promoted to Double-A Portland in early June.

In his next 56 games for the Sea Dogs, Campbell slashed a stout .362/.463/.582 with 17 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 35 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 255 plate appearances. He was named the Eastern League Player of the Week twice (June 10-16, August 5-11) and the Eastern League Player of the Month for June before receiving another promotion to Triple-A Worcester in late August.

With the WooSox, Campbell hit .286/.412/.486 to go along with two doubles, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 17 runs scored, four stolen bases, 13 walks, and 18 strikeouts over 19 games (85 plate appearances). He suffered a left lat strain while running from home to first base on September 11 and was subsequently shut down for the remainder of Worcester’s season.

All told, Campbell finished 2024 with a .330/.439/.558 line in 115 total games (517 plate appearances) between Greenville, Portland, and Worcester. He doubled 32 times, tripled thrice, homered 20 times, drove in 77 runs, scored 94 runs, stole 24 bases, drew 74 walks, and struck out 103 times. His 180 wRC+ was the top mark in the minors this year, per Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes.

On the other side of the ball, Campbell saw playing time at four different positions at all three of his stops this season. The versatile 6-foot-3, 210-pounder logged 310 1/3 cumulative innings at second base, 298 2/3 innings at shortstop, 204 innings in center field, and 44 innings at third base. To that end, he was named the Sea Dogs’ Defensive Player of the Year.

“He’s the kind of guy who bought into the programming, bought into what he felt like he needed to improve and what we provided for him in terms of training and focus,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Campbell when speaking with Pontes. “He added about 15 to 20 pounds of muscle and strength. When we talk about impacting the baseball, that’s a big thing.”

Campbell, who was also named 2024 Eastern League MVP on Tuesday, is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 24 prospect in the sport. The Georgia native is joined by fellow Red Sox prospects Roman Anthony (No. 1), Marcelo Mayer (No. 10), Kyle Teel (No. 25), Braden Montgomery (No. 59), and Frankin Arias (No. 92) on Baseball America’s top 100 list.

“It just kind of all clicked at one time and happened this season pretty fast,” Campbell told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “I think it caught me off guard and caught some other people off guard, but it’s been cool. It’s been happening fast but in a good way. I had a pretty good season, but it’s just a start. I’ve got to try to do it all again next year and the year after that.”

Campbell, who does not turn 23 until next June, has turned the Red Sox’ Big Three of Anthony, Mayer, and Teel into a Big Four. Unlike Anthony, Mayer, and Teel, though, Campbell hits from the right side of the plate. That distinction could help set him apart once he is deemed ready to contribute at the big-league level, which could come as soon as early 2025.

“It’s going to be interesting how we make it fit,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam) in Toronto on Tuesday. “But (his bat) plays. And like I said before, right-handed hitters at Fenway are needed to create balance and change games. And he’s going to change games.”

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell likely done for season after being placed on Triple-A Worcester’s injured list

The 2024 season is likely over for top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell, who was placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list on Tuesday.

Campbell suffered a left lat strain while running from home to first in the third inning of Worcester’s 7-0 win over the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park last Wednesday. The 22-year-old has not been ruled out entirely in the event that the WooSox advance to the International League playoffs, but the Red Sox will err on the side of caution, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

“I think the most important thing for him right now is to go into the offseason fully healthy so he can train this winter,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham told Speier. “I think we need to be smart here. We’re going to make sure we’re thinking about the longer term and bigger picture versus the shorter term.

“We’re going to obviously trust our group and our staff and Kristian to see how he feels and go from there,” added Abraham, “but I would not be surprised if we end up taking the decision out of his hands and making sure that he’s healthy going into the offseason.”

Campbell, the 132nd overall pick in last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech, was not ranked as one of the Red Sox’ top 30 prospects by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline to begin his first full professional season. After working to add strength and bat speed to better impact the baseball over the winter, the right-handed hitter broke camp with High-A Greenville this spring and batted .306/.418/.558 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 40 games (177 plate appearances) before receiving a promotion to Double-A Portland in early June.

Playing alongside The Big Three of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel in Portland, Campbell slashed .362/.463/.582 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 56 games (255 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs. He was then promoted again to Worcester on August 20 and posted a .286/.412/.486 line with four homers and 17 RBIs in 19 games (85 plate appearances) before being shut down this week.

So, between his three stops at Greenville, Portland, and Worcester, Campbell — nicknamed ‘Barry Bonds’ by his teammates — batted a stout .330/.439/.558 with 32 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, 94 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, 74 walks, and 103 strikeouts in 115 games (517 plate appearances) this season. On the other side of the ball, the versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder started at least one game at four different positions. To that end, he was named the Sea Dogs Defensive Player of the Year. With the WooSox, he logged 100 innings at shortstop, 26 innings at third base, 19 innings in center field, and 14 innings at second base.

Campbell, who does not turn 23 until next June, is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 24 prospect in the sport. MLB Pipeline has the Georgia native ranked as the Red Sox’ No. 5 prospect and the No. 74 prospect in baseball. Elsewhere, The Athletic’s Keith Law recently tabbed Campbell as his Prospect of the Year.

With the Red Sox already looking ahead to 2025, Campbell has positioned himself as a potential building block for the future alongside the left-handed hitting trio of Anthony, Mayer, and Teel. While that distinction alone may not exclude him from being involved in trade talks in the offseason, it seems as though he could be ready to contribute at the big-league level as early as next summer.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote rising prospect Kristian Campbell to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting fast-rising prospect Kristian Campbell from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Campbell is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 98 prospect in the sport. The 22-year-old will reunite with fellow recently-promoted top-100 prospects Marcelo Mayer (No. 10), Roman Anthony (No. 18), and Kyle Teel (No. 31) after spending the last two-plus months with “The Big Three” in Portland.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech, Campbell opened his first full professional season at High-A Greenville after turning heads at spring training. The right-handed hitter proceeded to bat .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 40 games (177 plate appearances) for the Drive. He then earned a promotion to Portland in early June.

With the Sea Dogs, Campbell turned things up a notch and slashed a stout .362/.463/.582 with 17 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 35 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 56 games (255 plate appearances). He was named Eastern League Player of the Week twice (June 10-16, August 5-11) and the Eastern League Player of the Month for June.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at four different positions so far this season. With Portland specifically, the versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder made 21 starts at shortstop, 15 at second base, 11 in center field, and one at third base. He is considered a fringe-average fielder despite possessing plus speed.

Given the fashion in which Campbell has broken out to the point where he is now only one call away from the major leagues, the case can be made that the Red Sox have a Big Four in Worcester as opposed to just a Big Three. Regardless of that, the WooSox are off on Monday and are slated to open a six-game road series against the Norfolk Tides on Tuesday night.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell named Eastern League Player of the Week for second time this season

Rising Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of August 5-11, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Campbell takes home the honor for the second time this season after first doing so for Double-A Portland in mid-June. In the Sea Dogs’ most recent series against the Altoona Curve last week, the right-handed hitting 22-year-old went 8-for-18 (.444) with three home runs, five RBIs, six runs scored, five stolen bases, six walks, and three strikeouts over 25 plate appearances.

After reaching base six times through the first two games of the six-game set at Hadlock Field, Campbell got Thursday off. He then homered in three straight games over the weekend and is now riding a nine-game hitting streak as well as a 26-game hitting streak.

Since being promoted from High-A Greenville on June 4, Campbell has batted a stout .380/.484/.592 with 16 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 32 RBIs, 43 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 32 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 49 games (223 plate appearances) for Portland. Among the 98 hitters who have made at least 220 trips to the plate in the Eastern League this season, Campbell leads the pack in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.077), line-drive rate (31.5 percent), and wRC+ (203). He also ranks fifth in swinging-strike rate (7.1 percent) and seventh in walk rate (14.3 percent), strikeout rate (14.8 percent), and isolated power (.212), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at four different positions for the Sea Dogs so far this year. The versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder has logged 160 2/3 innings at shortstop, 131 innings at second base, 83 innings in center field, and nine innings at third base. He has also made five starts at DH.

Campbell, who turned 22 in June, was selected by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall pick of last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech. That is the same pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

A native of Georgia himself, Campbell signed with the Red Sox for $492,700, made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League, and then helped Greenville win its second South Atlantic League title before the 2023 campaign drew to a close. Just over a year since entering the pro ranks, Campbell is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 98 prospect in the sport.

With the recent promotions of Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel, Campbell is now the highest-ranked Red Sox prospect on Portland’s roster. With that, it should be worthwhile to see if he can keep this level of production up and possibly reunite with The Big Three in Worcester before the end of the season.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell named Eastern League Player of the Week

Rising Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of June 10-16, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Campbell enjoyed a productive week in Double-A Portland’s series against the Reading Fightin Phils. Appearing in all six games at FirstEnergyStadium, Campbell went 12-for-28 (.429) with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and eight strikeouts.

After collecting six hits in the first two games of the series, Campbell went 0-for-5 on Thursday to snap a nine-game hitting streak. He then went deep twice on Friday to mark the first multi-homer game of his professional career and closed out the weekend by stroking three more hits on Sunday.

Since being promoted on June 4, Campbell has batted .392/.456/.667 with six doubles, one triple, two home runs, 10 runs driven in, 13 runs scored, two stolen bases, five walks, and 10 strikeouts in his first 12 games (57 plate appearances) with Portland. This comes after he slashed .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight homers, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 40 games (177 plate appearances) with Greenville to begin his first full season as a pro.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at two different positions since joining the Sea Dogs earlier this month. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has started four games at second base and six in center field after being used in a similar capacity with the Drive. He has also started two games as Portland’s designated hitter after serving as Greenville’s DH on eight separate occasions.

Campbell, who turns 22 later this month, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Georgia Tech product was taken by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall selection in last year’s draft, which is the pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

After signing with the Red Sox for $492,700 last summer, Campbell made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League but quickly worked his way up to Greenville, skipping Low-A Salem altogether, in late August. He then played a major role in helping the Drive take home their first South Atlantic League title since 2017.

As highlighted by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Campbell spent most of the offseason in Fort Myers to work on his strength and conditioning as well as his swing. He added some bulk to his wiry frame and proceeded to turn heads in his first spring training by displaying eye-opening exit velocity at the plate on the back fields of the Fenway South complex.

“He hits the crap out of the ball,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham recently told Speier. “His swing is incredibly fast. He drives the ball to all fields. He has really good plate discipline. He’s a hitter that does a lot of things really well. It’s exciting to see what he could potentially do and already what he’s done.”

Cambell is the fourth member of the Sea Dogs to earn Eastern League Player of the Week honors this season, joining Matthew Lugo (April 15-21), Blaze Jordan (April 22-28), and Kyle Teel (May 27-June 2). On the flip side, left-hander Zach Penrod was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 13-19.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote hard-hitting prospect Kristian Campbell to Double-A Portland

With Matthew Lugo making the jump to Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox are promoting fellow prospect Kristian Campbell from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Campbell, who turns 22 later this month, is enjoying a productive first full season in pro ball after being drafted by the Red Sox out of Georgia Tech last summer. The right-handed hitter batted .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts over 40 games (177 plate appearances) for the Drive to begin the 2024 campaign.

Among 70 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League, Campbell ranks seventh in batting average and total bases (82), third in on-base percentage and extra-base hits (21), second in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.976), fourth in isolated power (.252), and 15th in walk rate (14.7 percent), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

Defensively, Campbell has mainly split his playing time this season between second base and center field. The versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder did not commit an error at either position with Greenville and made one start at third base. He has prior experience at both corner outfield spots as well.

A Georgia native himself, Campbell was taken by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall selection in the 2023 amateur draft. That was the same pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

Campbell signed with the Red Sox for $492,700 last July and, after a brief stop in the Florida Complex League, played a pivotal role in Greenville taking home the 2023 South Atlantic League title. The 21-year-old spent most of this past offseason in Fort Myers and drew plenty of praise during spring training thanks in part to displaying eye-popping exit velocity at the plate. To that end, he is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

As is the case with Lugo in Worcester, it should be interesting to see how Campbell adjusts to more advanced competition in Portland. He nonetheless joins a stacked Sea Dogs roster that — at the moment — includes the likes of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel, Luis Perales, Wikelman Gonzalez, Nick Yorke, and Eddinson Paulino, among others.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell homers in third straight game for High-A Greenville

Versatile Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell nearly hit for the cycle in High-A Greenville’s 8-2 win over the Asheville Tourists on Thursday night.

Batting second and starting at second base for the Drive at hitter-friendly McCormick Field, Campbell went 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk. All four hits had exit velocities of more than 100 mph, according to the Red Sox’ Player Development X/Twitter account.

After singling in the first inning, Campbell doubled in Ahbram Liendo to open the scoring in the top half of the third. The 21-year-old scored on a sacrifice fly and stroked another single in the fourth before crushing a two-run homer off Asheville reliever Carlos Calderon to give Greenville an 8-2 lead in the top of the fifth.

Having already gone deep for the third straight game, Campbell had the chance to complete the first cycle of his young career with a triple. The right-handed hitter stepped up to the plate one final time to lead off the ninth inning but did not get much to swing at and instead drew a seven-pitch walk to put the finishing touches on a productive evening.

In three games against Asheville this week, Campbell has gone 7-for-12 (.583) with one double, three home runs, six RBIs, five runs scored, two walks, and two strikeouts. After somewhat of a slow start, he is now batting .276/.391/.569 with five doubles, four homers, 12 runs driven in, 11 runs scored, one stolen base, 10 walks, and 19 strikeouts over 16 games (69 plate appearances) for Greenville this season.

Among 87 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League coming into play on Friday, Campbell ranks 22nd in walk rate (14.5 percent), 19th in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.960), fourth in isolated power (.293), 23rd in line-drive rate (25.7 percent), 38th in swinging-strike rate (11.3 percent), and second in wRC+ (173), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Campbell has seen playing time at three different positions for the Drive so far this year. The 6-foot-3, 191-pounder has logged 65 1/3 innings at second base and 39 innings in center field and has yet to commit an error. He also started three games as Greenville’s designated hitter and has prior experience at both corner outfield spots.

Campbell, who turns 22 in June, was selected by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall pick in last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech. That, of course, is the pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

A Georgia native himself, Campbell signed with Boston for $492,700 and made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League. He posted a .911 OPS in 22 games between the FCL and Greenville last season while helping the Drive win their first South Atlantic League title since 2017.

After spending most of the offseason in Fort Myers, Campbell entered his first minor-league spring training ranked by Baseball America as the No. 35 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He drew palpable buzz on the back fields of the JetBlue Park complex, with Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham telling The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier: “I think with the swing-decision ability that he already naturally has on top of the ability to impact the baseball, we’re looking at a guy who could be really, really impactful and continue to get better.”

Taking that all into consideration, it should be interesting to see if Campbell can keep this kind of production up and possibly make his way to Double-A Portland later in the season. In the interim, he will start at second base and bat cleanup for Greenville on Friday.

First pitch from McCormick Field is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. eastern time, though the forecast does not look particularly promising.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Despite being unranked by MLB Pipeline, Kristian Campbell earns spot on Red Sox’ Spring Breakout roster

Of the 18 position-playing prospects on the Red Sox’ roster for this weekend’s inaugural Spring Breakout matchup against the Braves at JetBlue Park, Kristian Campbell is the only one who is not currently ranked by MLB Pipeline.

Campbell is one of four 2023 draftees to make the cut for Boston, joining the likes of first-rounder Kyle Teel, second-rounder Nazzan Zanetello, and third-rounder Antonio Anderson. The 21-year-old was, of course, taken by the Red Sox with the 132d overall selection last July, which is the pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the prior offseason.

As a result of being redshirted his freshman year, Campbell played just one season at Georgia Tech before going pro as a draft-eligible sophomore. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native signed with Boston for $492,700 and made his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.

In eight games with the FCL Red Sox, Campbell went 9-for-23 (.391) with two doubles, one triple, two RBIs, four runs scored, two stolen bases, three walks, and five strikeouts. The right-handed hitter then received a promotion to High-A Greenville on August 24, meaning he would be skipping the Low-A level altogether.

With Greenville, Campbell batted .267/.400/.422 with two more doubles, one more triple, the first home run of his young career, three runs driven in, five runs scored, one stolen base, and seven strikeouts over 14 games (55 plate appearances) to close out the regular season. He then recorded a pair of three-hit games in the playoffs while helping the Drive take home their first South Atlantic Title since 2017.

“The lights were not too bright for him,” Greenville manager Iggy Suarez said of Campbell last September. “First year in pro ball, first season, and he’s in the thick of things. The bigger the moment, he embraced it and he wanted it. It’s almost a veteran approach.”

Including the postseason, Campbell slashed a stout .350/.469/.538 with five doubles, two triples, two homers, 11 RBIs, 12 runs scored, three stolen bases, 11 walks, and 21 strikeouts across 26 total games between the FCL and Greenville last year. The versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder put up those numbers while making starts at second base and both corner outfield spots.

“I was listed as an infielder, mainly a middle infielder, but I can also play the outfield,” Campbell told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith last fall. “At Georgia Tech, I just played second base. I’ve always taken reps in the outfield during batting practice and stuff. So it’s always come kind of natural.”

Campbell, who does not turn 22 until late June, got into his first big-league spring training game on February 25 and struck out in his only plate appearance after taking over in center field for top prospect Roman Anthony. He is expected to return to Greenville for the start of the 2024 minor-league campaign.

Despite not being ranked by MLB Pipeline at the moment, Campbell did receive some attention from Baseball America last month. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, who also compiles the Red Sox’ organizational rankings for BA, wrote that Campbell was drafted where he was “based not only on his combination of bat-to-ball skills, strike-zone discipline, and plus speed but also a sense that he could add to his profile with strength gains and by getting exposure to the outfield, where his speed is an asset.”

To that end, Campbell should get the opportunity to showcase such skills when he and his fellow Red Sox prospects take on their peers from the Braves in Fort Myers on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time and the seven-inning exhibition will be broadcasted on NESN.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell powers High-A Greenville to South Atlantic League title

Versatile Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell put the finishing touches on a strong debut season by helping High-A Greenville take home the 2023 South Atlantic League championship.

After drawing a walk and driving in a run in a Game 1 road win over the Hudson Valley Renegades on Sunday, Campbell recorded three hits in Greenville’s series-clinching victory at Fluor Field on Tuesday night.

Batting seventh and starting in left field for the Drive, Campbell went 3-for-4 with a massive three-run home run. The right-handed hitter struck out in his first plate appearances, then proceeded to reach base in the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings.

After registering a pair of singles for his first two hits of the night, Campbell came through in a big way in the bottom half of the seventh. Tyler Miller had just driven in Allan Castro to give Greenville a 4-2 lead and put runners at second and third with only one out.

Matched up against Hudson Valley reliever Matt Keating, Campbell worked a 2-1 count before clobbering a line-drive, three-run blast to deep left-center field. He then let out a celebratory yell as he rounded first base and pointed to the sky before crossing home plate to put Greenville up, 7-2, going into the eighth inning.

The Drive went on to defeat the Renegades by a final score of 7-3, claiming their first South Atlantic League title since 2017 and their second since becoming affiliated with the Red Sox in 2005.

Campbell played a major role for Greenville as it swept Hickory in the division series and Hudson Valley in the championship series en route to a perfect postseason. In four games against the Crawdads and Renegades, Campbell went 7-for-12 (.583) with one double, one home run, six RBIs, three runs scored, one walk, and three strikeouts. He also flashed the leather over the weekend by making an impressive diving catch in the left-center field gap.

“The lights were not too bright for him,” Drive manager Iggy Suarez said of Campbell when speaking with MiLB.com’s Allison Mast on Tuesday night. “First year in pro ball, first season, and he’s in the thick of things. The bigger the moment, he embraced it and he wanted it. It’s almost a veteran approach.”

Campbell, 21, was selected by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall pick in this summer’s draft, which Boston received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency over the winter. The drat-eligible sophomore out of Georgia Tech signed for $492,700 and debuted in the rookie-level Florida Complex League last month.

A native of the Peach State himself, Campbell posted a 1.082 OPS (189 wRC+) in eight games for Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate before making the jump to Greenville (and skipping Low-A Salem) on August 24. He then batted .267/.400/.422 (132 wRC+) with two doubles, one triple, one homer, three runs driven in, five runs scored, one stolen base, seven walks, and 13 strikeouts in 14 regular season games (55 plate appearances) with the Drive.

Defensively, Campbell saw playing time at second base and both corner outfield spots at his two stops this year. With Greenville specifically, the 6-foot-3, 191-pounder logged 81 innings at second base, 17 innings in left field, and nine innings in right field. He did not commit a single error and recorded one outfield assist by throwing top Rangers prospect Wyatt Langford out at second base back on August 27.

Campbell, who does not turn 22 until next June, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 48 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He possesses an intriguing profile based on his athleticism and power potential and is projected by the website to return to Greenville for the start of the 2024 campaign in April.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)