Kristian Campbell had great expectations for his 2024 season when he reported to Red Sox spring training last winter.
The reality has been far greater. The 22-year-old multi-talented phenom moved up three levels in the farm system, ending the Minor League season in Triple-A as one of baseball’s most promising prospects.
On Tuesday, he was named the 2024 Double-A Eastern League MVP and Baseball America’s Prospect of the Year, an accolade he’d also received from The Athletic’s Keith Law the week before. On Wednesday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Campbell and Roman Anthony are two prospects whom the Red Sox would consider putting on next year’s Opening Day roster.
That’s where things stood on Friday afternoon, when Campbell visited Fenway Park for the first time to receive the organization’s Minor League Offensive Player of the Year award.
“It’s really cool, it’s really exciting,” he said as he stood by the Red Sox dugout. “Couldn’t ask for more.”
Over 115 games between High-A Greenville (40 games), Double-A Portland (56), and Triple-A Worcester (19), Campbell slashed .330/.439/.558 with 142 hits, 32 doubles, and 20 home runs. He scored 94 runs, drove in 77 RBI, stole 24 bases, drew 74 walks, and struck out 103 times.
That’s the final tally on an offensive campaign that Campbell said “started off a little bit slow.”
“(Swinging) a little bit too hard sometimes, trying to get my feet under me,” Campbell said. “I think I found an even balance when I got to Portland, and just kind of kept going from there.”
Though Campbell said he had “really high expectations” for himself coming into the season, even he was surprised by his power surge. He’d hit four home runs over 45 games for Georgia Tech in 2023, and homered once in the 22 games he played between rookie level and High-A after the Red Sox drafted him last summer.
“I think it was definitely more than what I expected coming into the season, because I’ve never really like, hit home runs before,” Campbell said. “If you asked me before the season if I would have hit – told me I would have hit 20 home runs, no. No way.”
Campbell modestly credited the organization’s development staff for helping him unlock his power.
“The work the development team has for me and what we work on every day, kind of gets me prepared for that,” he said. “The work that I put in, definitely, it showed this year.”
Teammates agreed. Campbell realized that they were calling him “Barry” after the famed (controversial) slugger Barry Bonds, whose 762 career home runs stand atop MLB’s all-time list.
“We were in the locker room, and they just started kind of calling me ‘Barry,’ and I’d never answer because I didn’t know what they were talking about,” Campbell said. “They kept doing it for like, two or three days, and I started answering, and the nickname just kind of stuck.”
Concerns over where Campbell fits into the current Red Sox defense are virtually nonexistent. He’s incredibly versatile, and confident in his abilities to move around.
“I play everywhere pretty well. I play middle infielder, center, I can play the corners, too, and a little bit of third base. I feel pretty comfortable everywhere on the field,” he said. “I’m primarily a middle infielder and I feel really comfortable at second base, that’s been my spot the last couple years. This year I moved all over the place and I felt really good.”
It’s something that impressed Triple-A manager Chad Tracy immediately.
“Second baseman, maybe, third baseman, maybe center fielder, short. He probably could play any one of them at this point,” Tracy said at the end of August. “He covers ground out there (in the outfield). … At short, he looks smooth, really smooth.”
“Just a good athlete. A good athlete who has versatility, he can impact the baseball,” said Sox manager Alex Cora on Friday. “We’re very pleased with the season he had, obviously putting himself on the radar. He worked hard for it, and he’s an interesting player, and a good one.”
Campbell is no stranger to Green Monsters. The organization’s spring training facility in Fort Myers has a replica, as do two of the three levels Campbell played at this year.
But nothing compares to the original verdant behemoth in Boston, which Campbell got to see for the first time on Friday.
“It’s good, it’s big! We had it in Greenville and Portland,” he said. “This one’s definitely a little bigger, and it’s a lot brighter.”
How fitting for a season, and future, bigger and brighter than he expected.
Mayer, Montgomery on mend
Two of Boston’s top prospects, shortstop Marcelo Mayer and outfielder Braden Montgomery, finished the season on the injured list, but Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham provided a positive update on both prior to Friday’s game.
“Marcelo is doing well, he’s back home progressing really well,” Abraham said of Mayer, the No. 10 ranked prospect according to Baseball America. “He’ll soon be ramping up baseball activity but a full offseason of health and preparation for next year’s spring training.”
Mayer was promoted to Triple-A in August but was shut down due to a lumbar strain before playing a game in Worcester. Meanwhile, Montgomery, who was drafted No. 12 overall by the Red Sox out of Texas A&M in this summer’s draft, suffered a broken ankle in the NCAA Tournament and has been recovering since.
Abraham said Montgomery has been on a strength and conditioning program and recently started swinging, and the expectation is he’ll remain in Fort Myers for the time being as he keeps working on his rehab.
“We’re really excited to see him get on the field and the progress he’s going to make,” Abraham said.
Montgomery ranks as the No. 59 prospect in MLB despite still having yet to make his pro debut.
Low-A affiliate staying
The Salem Red Sox, based out of Salem, Va., have served as a Single-A affiliate for Boston since 2009, but with the club’s lease at Salem Memorial Stadium due to expire following the season, questions have lingered about the club’s future.
Though a new lease hasn’t been signed, Peter Freund, CEO of club owner Diamond Baseball Holdings, said Friday that they expect a deal will be reached and that the franchise will remain in Salem.
“We are in discussions with the City of Salem on lease drafts and intend to enter into a new lease prior to the 2025 season,” Freund told the Herald.
The Salem Red Sox serve as Boston’s Low-A affiliate in the Carolina League. The club was purchased last winter from Fenway Sports Group by DBH, which currently owns 36 minor league affiliates across the nation.
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