Kristian Campbell hitting the ground running for Double-A Portland; ‘It’s all coming along at the right time’
In a pair of moves last week, the Boston Red Sox promoted Matthew Lugo to Triple-A Worcester and Kristian Campbell to Double-A Portland. Lugo was one of the biggest producers in the Sea Dogs lineup, posting 11 home runs with 25 RBI and a 1.069 OPS. Luckily for the Sea Dogs, they hope to not lose too much production, as Campbell has been one of the top performers in the entire Red Sox organization.
Draft eligible as a sophomore, he was drafted in 2023 with a 4th round compensation pick out of Georgia Tech. Campbell said that he was checking in with his Yellow Jackets last weekend during the college baseball regional portion, though his former squad was downed by in-state rival University of Georgia in the regional final.
The 4th round compensation pick that the Red Sox selected Campbell with was awarded to them due to extending a qualifying offer to Xander Bogaerts in the prior off-season and him signing elsewhere.
“I watched [Bogaerts] a lot growing up,” Campbell said. “He was a really big player for this franchise. I know he’s with a different team right now, but everyone still loves him.”
In High-A with the Greenville Drive, Campbell posted some impressive numbers. A .306/.418/.558 slash line, along with eight home runs and 25 RBI, that was good for a 172 wRC+. Among 206 qualified hitters at the High-A level, Campbell had the third highest wRC+ at the time of his promotion. With numbers like that, this was a promotion that was earned, not just out of need.
“It’s all coming along at the right time,” Campbell said. “I’m truly blessed and excited to be here. Honestly, it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of changes.”
In regards to the work that Campbell has been putting in, his swing is one that has been described as unconventional. One American League pro scout compared his swing to Hunter Pence’s, not necessarily as a one-for-one comp, but in regards to both player’s ability to find success with such a unique swing.
Red Sox Director of Player Development Brian Abraham detailed what has gone into the work regarding Campbell’s swing and his success in 2024.
“We made some mechanical adjustments this past off-season and early this spring and he has been very open minded, very willing to make adjustments,” Abraham said. “There’s only so many things you want to do to adjust a player, he definitely is probably not the most traditional offensive player at the plate, but it works really well for him and allows him to impact the baseball.”
Abraham also said that he is hitting the ball as hard as anyone in the organization, in part from changes they made to help him hit the ball in the air more often.
On the other side of the ball, Campbell is working to get comfortable at multiple positions, not just second base. In 2023 at Georgia Tech, Campbell played 7 games in the outfield while playing 34 at second base.
“You might catch me at every spot except for catcher, pitcher, and first base,” Campbell said. “I’m getting really comfortable in the outfield and starting something new with third. The best time to get work in is during BP.”
The 21-year-old may not have been on everyone’s radar coming into the year, but he certainly had the attention of his new manager, Chad Epperson.
“Campbell is obviously newer to the org, but I really watched him a lot in spring training,” Epperson said. “He’s interesting, you can tell he’s engaged and I’m excited to watch him.”
In his first week playing under his new manager, Campbell recorded a hit in all six games. In those six games, he batted 7-22 with five walks, two doubles and a triple. Off to a hot start to begin his Sea Dogs career, he said it is hard to imagine in just a year he has made it from college ball to Double-A, though he knows he’s still far from his goal of being a big leaguer.
“The hard work is something that is more personal, you gotta go out and do it, nobody can make you work hard,” Campbell said.
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