Yardbarker
x

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.

This article first appeared on Blogging the Red Sox and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.