Big stage awaits Big 3 in Spring Breakout

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne's Red Sox Beat newsletter. This edition was written by Bill Ladson. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- What do outfielder Roman Anthony, infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell and shortstop Marcelo Mayer all have in common? They are the Red Sox’s top three prospects and will display their skills in the Spring Breakout game against the Rays prospects on Thursday night (7:05 ET) at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Fla.

Anthony, Campbell and Mayer are so good at what they do on the baseball field, Red Sox fans call them “The Big 3.”

“It’s funny. We are all best friends. We are together every day just enjoying playing baseball,” Anthony said.

All three players are currently in big league camp and hope to make their regular-season Major League debuts sometime this year. Anthony (No. 2 in the MLB Pipeline 100) is off to a good start, going 4-for-13 (.308) with four RBIs, while Mayer (No. 12) has a slash line of .350/.409/.600 this spring. Campbell (No. 7) is off to a slow start with the bat, but he has been solid on defense. All three are looking forward to playing in the Spring Breakout to show off their baseball skills.

“It’s a fun game that lets the fans see who plays on the big stage,” Mayer said. “It’s going to be a night game, too.”

Mayer has been a productive player ever since Boston made him the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He made it to Double-A Portland last year and had a slash line of .307/.370/.480, with eight homers and 38 RBIs. No surprise, Mayer wants to get even better in the batter’s box.

“The thing I’m working on is cleaning up my bat path a little bit -- trying to get good pitches to hit,” Mayer said. “If I’m going to get good pitches to hit, I’m going to be successful. In the batter’s box, it’s a lot of swing decisions.”

Anthony, a second-round compensatory pick in 2022 out of high school, is an on-base machine (.398 OBP in three Minor League seasons). For Anthony, the Spring Breakout is not just about what he does on the field.

“It's about our whole team. It’s about how good our talent is and how much the Red Sox fans have to look forward to,” Anthony said. “It’s not just me. It’s everyone. It’s about us being ourselves. People are going to be able to see who we are and the talent that we have.”

Campbell was a fourth-round compensatory selection in 2023 out of Georgia Tech and, interestingly enough, was compensation for shortstop Xander Bogaerts signing with the Padres. Last year was Campbell’s best in professional baseball. He had a combined slash line of .330/.439/ 558, while making the jump from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester.

While he is excited to play against other prospects, Campbell is more than happy to learn the game of baseball from veterans in big league camp.

“It’s really good to learn from the guys around us. That’s the biggest takeaway. It's to learn from the veteran players,” he said. “Learn from the coaches. Learn from the guys with experience in the Major Leagues. It’s good to talk to them about mentality and taking it one day at a time.”