Red Sox pitching prospect Connelly Early spins six-inning shutout
Red Sox left-handed pitching prospect Connelly Early spun a six-inning shutout on Saturday for the Greenville Drive, 3-2 over the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
Early was impressive, tossing six scoreless frames, giving up just two hits, no runs, and one walk while striking out six. The southpaw threw 80 pitches, 52 for strikes, during his start. He also earned his first win of the season.
Boston’s fifth-round pick in 2023 out of the University of Virginia dropped his ERA to 3.62 in 37 1/3 innings with 45 strikeouts to just 10 walks with a 0.96 WHIP.
The Virginia native is listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. He features a four-pitch mix, a low 90s fastball, sweeping slider, curveball, and changeup. According to SoxProspects, Early has the potential to be an organizational starter. He is “durable and has solid pitch-ability, but the present stuff other than his changeup is fringy,” wrote SoxProspects.
Kristian Campbell collects two more hits for the Drive
Kristian Campbell has been tearing the cover off the ball this season for the Greenville Drive. That continued on Saturday when the infield prospect went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Campbell collected his 22nd RBI on a two-out popup single in the seventh inning of Grasshoppers hurler Cy Nielson. The single dropped between the second baseman and right fielder that scored the Drive’s Bryan Gonzalez from second base.
The Red Sox drafted Campbell in the compensation fourth round, No. 132 overall, out of Georgia Tech in 2023. The 6-foot-3, 191-pound infielder offers elite contract rates and good speed, according to Baseball America.
“Campbell’s calling card is his elite contact rate. He posted a 90% overall contact rate this spring, with a tremendous in-zone contact rate of 94%. Campbell crowds the plate and hits against a slightly closed off-front side,” wrote Baseball America.
