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Red Sox Prospect Rising With Dominance In 2024

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When the Boston Red Sox drafted Kristian Campbell after the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, there weren’t direct indications as to the type of player they were getting. Campbell played at Georgia Tech for just one year, batting .376 with four home runs in 45 games. Those are strong statistics but, with just one year under his belt, the jump to the minor leagues seemed large at the time. After first debuting in Boston’s system last year, Campbell entered 2024 looking to establish himself on the professional stage. He’s done just that across multiple levels this season. Kristian Campbell is rising with a dominant 2024. 

Kristian Campbell’s Path To 2024

Campbell appeared in just 22 games last season at the Rookie Ball (FCL Red Sox) and High-A (Greenville Drive) levels. He impressed in eight games in the Florida Complex League, posting a .391 average and near-1.100 OPS. That earned him a quick call-up to Greenville. Campbell’s average dipped to .267, but he still produced a strong .400 on-base percentage. He exited 2023 with an overall average of .309 and OPS above .900. The sample size was small, but Campbell set off on the right track to start his professional career.

Coming into 2024, his standing as a prospect wasn’t eye-popping. MLB Pipeline ranked the middle infielder as the 30th-best Red Sox prospect. Ahead of him were 18 position players, nine of which were in the infield. Various other outlets, like Future Stars Series and Prospects 1500, had Campbell outside of their top 30s. The Tennessee native was going to have to work his way up and through some tough competition. Campbell, thus far, has taken that challenge in full stride.

Kristian Campbell Rising With Dominance In 2024

Campbell began the year in High-A with the Drive. The month of April wasn’t kind to the 22-year-old, who batted just .216 in his first 14 contests. The moment the calendar flipped to May, though, so did Campbell’s performance. He hit a homer in the first two games of May and had hits in his first four matchups, including four knocks on May 2. Campbell’s average quickly got to .290 by the middle of the month. He had 10 multi-hit games, with three coming at the end of the month. From May 29-31, Campbell batted over .570. He exited the month batting .371 in May with a .663 slugging percentage, six homers, and 17 RBI.

Campbell appeared in just two games with Greenville in June before moving up to the next level. His time in High-A ended with a .306 average, eight home runs, and a .976 OPS in 40 games. Campbell was assigned to Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs) on June 4 and quickly got going. He had two hits in his first contest and base knocks in his first eight Double-A games. Campbell had four hits in a dominant June 11 matchup against the Reading Fightin Phils. He smacked his first two bombs with Portland on June 14. Those performances continued towards the end of the month. In an absolutely incredible June, Campbell batted .420 with a 1.182 OPS in 22 games.

On a team full of potential stars like Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel, Campbell shined through. He has kept things rolling to start July, collecting five hits in four contests. His blistering start with the Sea Dogs currently has Campbell at a .406 average and .504 on-base percentage in 26 matchups. 

Campbell Receives Recognition After Blistering Start

Campbell has shot up prospect rankings due to his hot start to the year. After being nowhere near the Top 100, the infielder entered Baseball America’s list in early July at No. 89. That’s a truly astonishing rise for someone who many didn’t even see as a noisemaker in 2024. He joined Mayer (#10), Anthony (#17), and Teel (#27) as the four Red Sox prospects on the list. All four are position players and currently play with Portland.

Campbell is also getting recognition from Boston-centric outlets. Sox Prospects has the 2023 draft pick at fifth in its latest rendition of rankings. He ranks behind his three teammates and Miguel Bleis (CF). Compared to others in Sox Prospects’ best 10, Campbell leads all in average, slugging, and OPS.  

Despite rising quickly, Kristian Campbell still has a ways to go before reaching the big leagues. He’s through under one year of MiLB service and, although there’s plenty to cheer about, needs to sustain his current success. Boston has multiple infield prospects ahead of Campbell on the pecking order, including Mayer, so his call-up will take time. Before the season, MLB.com put his MLB ETA at 2026. That probably still reigns true despite his uptick in production.

 

Photo Credit: © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The post Red Sox Prospect Rising With Dominance In 2024 appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.