FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It is that point of Spring Training when the regulars fill out the starting lineup. For the Red Sox on Monday afternoon, eight of the nine starters against the Orioles are all but certain to be in the lineup on March 27 when the season opens in Texas.
And that made it all the more notable that Kristian Campbell -- MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 7 overall prospect -- was grouped with those eight projected regulars, starting at second base.
Though Campbell hasn¡¯t made the team yet, he improved his positioning in the second base derby with his best all-around performance of the spring, belting a double capped with a nice hook slide in his first at-bat and making several strong plays on defense in Boston's 12-3 loss.
¡°He did a good job, made some plays,¡± Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. ¡°He's going to get more reps there. He'll play [Tuesday in Tampa against the Yankees], too. It feels like he's getting comfortable. Put a good swing on the ball, and then the walk also, that was good.¡±
Prior to the game, Cora sounded almost frustrated that more balls hadn¡¯t been hit to Campbell during Grapefruit League action. Backfield drills are a nice means for observation, but when a team is evaluating a player, game speed is of the utmost importance.
And then the first pitch was thrown and tough chances came in droves. Campbell handled all of them while playing the full nine innings, making three diving stops and several other nice plays.
¡°Yeah, the ball did find me today,¡± Campbell said. ¡°They had a lot of lefties in the lineup, for sure. So I¡¯m happy I got some plays for me today.¡±
The classic case of an athlete who can -- and has -- played all over the field, the Red Sox have had Campbell focus almost exclusively on second base during drill work this spring, as that is the position that is open and his best path to make the team.
¡°[We] are just finding different ways to help me move more efficiently in the infield, quicker ways to turn double plays,¡± said Campbell. ¡°The way I did it before wasn¡¯t terrible, but there's little things you can do to help improve in the infield. Different ways you can use your hands, or different ways you can move your feet up that will help you move a little bit better so you don't waste any extra time that you can use to turn a double play.
¡°Little things just like that. You just want to be as best as you can so whenever you get out there, it¡¯s as quick as possible turning two. Because you need those two outs whenever you can get them.¡±
Those little things are big for a team that is determined to improve its infield defense.
David Hamilton (who has had a strong spring) and Vaughn Grissom are the two players Campbell is in competition with. While Hamilton is probably the safest choice, Campbell carries the most upside -- particularly on offense, where he projects to be an impact player.
Known for his strong swing decisions, Campbell was jumpy in the early weeks of games. The 22-year-old has an underwhelming line of .167/.286/.222 with no homers or RBIs in 36 at-bats. However, Spring Training stats are notoriously dangerous to read into -- good or bad.
¡°It is what it is, right? It's still Spring Training,¡± Cora said. ¡°As long as we swing at the right ones, that's the most important thing. That's kind of what he does. He hits the ball hard but he dominates the strike zone. At one point, he was just swinging. We want him to make sure he¡¯s still making good swing decisions. And when you do that over and over and over again, the results are going to come."
Within the next few days, the Red Sox will make their final evaluation if they feel he¡¯s ready to play at the highest level on Opening Day.
¡°I¡¯ve been learning a lot this whole Spring Training just about baseball and when it comes to infield, outfield and fielding in general,¡± said Campbell. ¡°Just everything. I¡¯ve been learning a lot, so it¡¯s been good so far. I wouldn't really change anything. Just keep competing, keep my head up, keep staying positive throughout the rest of camp, and we'll see what happens at the end.¡±