But the Double-A Sea Dogs are certainly not lacking in terms of star power, even with Boston’s trio of top prospects making the jump up to the next level.
However, it seems all but inevitable that Portland infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell will join the “Big Three” in Worcester in short order — so long as he continues to torment Double-A pitching.
“We call him Barry Bonds just because of how good of a hitter he is,” Anthony said about Campbell, who has been on a tear since joining Portland in early June. “He’s a great player. He’s a freak athlete.
“Plays the game the right way and he’s a great person on and off the field. And it’s rare that you can get a guy like that who can play so many different premium positions and play at the level that he plays at while putting up the numbers that he has put up.”
Selected by Boston in the fourth round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft out of Georgia Tech, Campbell’s scorching surge at the plate since arriving in Portland has put him on the map across scouting circles.
After slashing .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, and 25 RBI over 40 games in Greenville, Campbell earned a promotion to Portland on June 4.
While most prospects understandably traverse through some growing pains upon making the jump to the next level of competition, Campbell has managed to be even better with Portland — by a sizable margin.
Since getting the call-up from Greenville, Campbell is slashing an absurd .374/.481/.589 over 51 games in Portland with 16 doubles, seven home runs and 32 RBI.
Even with an aggressive swing, Campbell has showcased strong plate discipline in Portland — with his strikeout rate of 14.8 percent standing as the 13th-best in Double-A, as noted byThe Boston Globe’sSarah Barber.
Despite showcasing a high contact rate during his collegiate career, the Red Sox have make a concerted effort to harness more power out of Campbell’s swing — with the results speaking for themselves so far this summer.
“Contact was the big thing in college, just trying to hit the ball and get on base for my teammates,” Campbell told Boston.com back in June. “And that’s still the goal here, make contact with the ball, get on base for my teammates. But just with a little bit more authority. I feel like rather than just getting a bunch of singles — trying to turn some doubles into home runs and stuff like that.”
While Red Sox fans have largely focused their attention on the “Big Three” in hopes of franchise-shifting reinforcements in 2025 and beyond, a slugger like Campbell may not be very far behind the trio.
“A credit to him he came in, and it was kind of a new style of hitting for what he came from at Georgia Tech, I think, and he was willing to learn and he grinded all offseason. He was there every day in Florida when we were there,” Anthony said. “Every day at spring training. He’s constantly grinding. So it’s not by accident. But we’re hoping to see him here soon because he’s a stud.”
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0