Roman Anthony on Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell: 'We call him Barry Bonds'
The Red Sox promoted the “Big 3” to Triple-A Worcester after the trio tore the cover off the ball with the Portland Sea Dogs. With Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel, and Roman Anthony calling Polar Park home, it leaves infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell on his own at Hadlock Field.
Campbell has been tormenting Double-A pitching since he was promoted on June 4, hitting .374 with 16 doubles, two triples, seven homers, 32 RBI, 34 walks, 17 stolen bases, and a 1.070 OPS.
“We call him Barry Bonds just because of how good of a hitter he is,” Anthony said about Campbell, who has been on fire since joining the Sea Dogs. “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.”
Campbell isn’t far behind his former teammates, and he could see a potential promotion to Worcester before the season ends. The product out of Georgia Tech, who can play second base, shortstop, and outfield, has been a breakout performer this season.
In MLB Pipeline’s recent update to their top 100 prospects, Campbell ranks No. 80 overall, while ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has the 22-year-old as the 54th overall prospect in baseball.
Campbell’s strong start with the Greenville Drive slashing .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, and 25 RBI over 40 games earned him the promotion to Portland.
“It has been super fun so far,” Campbell said to Beyond the Monster of his 2024 season back in July. “That is mainly because of the two teams I have been on with the guys I have been around. That has been the most fun being around the guys every single day. It makes it much easier to play every day with the guys at each level in this organization.”
If Campbell lands with the WooSox this season or possibly in 2025, he will be reunited with Mayer, whom he’s known since he was a teenager.
“It is really cool to play with my teammates here,” Campbell said. “I have known of Marcelo and Blaze since I was 16. I never got to play against Marcelo because he is a California kid, and I am a Georgia kid. I did get to see Blaze back then, being from the same part of the country, but he definitely didn’t know who I was. It is crazy to be on the same field as them and get to compete with them.
“They are all competitors, and that is what makes it really fun. We are trying to win all of the games we play, and none of those guys make any excuses. They are just here to ball and take it one day at a time and focus in on what is right in front of them.”
Campbell would love another promotion, but in the meantime, he will work on the plan laid out by the Red Sox for his development.
“There is a lot of baseball going on in levels above me and below me in the system. If you start thinking about that stuff, you might get frustrated with where you are. I just try to take things one day at a time,” said Campbell.
