Four years after he went undrafted out of high school and three years after Georgia Tech's coaching staff decided he needed to redshirt as a freshman, Kristian Campbell will begin the 2025 season on the Red Sox's Opening Day roster. It's the latest step in his stunningly rapid ascent from 2023 supplemental fourth-round pick to one of the best prospects in baseball.
Campbell went from not ranking among MLB Pipeline's Red Sox Top 30 Prospects to begin last season to No. 7 on our overall Top 100 in January. When we were assembling the latter list, multiple executives with other clubs said they regarded him as the game's best prospect, and one noted that it wasn't particularly close.
That's a reflection of just how well the 22-year-old Campbell performed in his first full pro season. He batted a combined .330/.439/.558 with 20 homers and 24 steals in 115 games while moving from High-A to Triple-A, leading the Minors in wRC+ (180) while placing second in on-base percentage and OPS (.997), fourth in batting and fifth in runs (94). He was named MLB Pipeline Hitting Prospect of the Year, MiLB Breakout Player of the Year and Double-A Eastern League MVP.
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The reasons behind Campbell's emergence were more important than his statistics. Though he hit .376/.484/.549 during his lone season at Georgia Tech, he didn't translate his then-average raw power into game pop, his plus speed into stolen bases or his athleticism into obvious defensive prowess. So after he signed for $492,700 and had a reasonably successful pro debut between Rookie ball and Single-A, the Red Sox asked him to make some changes.
Boston wanted Campbell to add strength and bat speed while modifying his bat path and looking to contact the ball further in front of the plate. Making those types of alterations are usually easier said than done.
Not only did Campbell add 15 pounds of lean muscle and quicken his right-handed stroke after spending that offseason at the Red Sox's training base in Fort Myers, Fla., but he also became a much more dynamic hitter. He traded a bit of contact to do a lot more damage, with his advanced hand-eye coordination enabling him to put balls in play with high-end exit velocities and to drive them in the air much more often. His underlying metrics improved as he rose through the Minors, and he could find another gear if he can cut his chase and ground-ball rates a bit more.
Campbell has no obvious weakness at the plate and should compete for the American League Rookie of the Year award. His ceiling is huge, as he has the tools and skills to win batting titles and post 30/30 seasons once he's fully established in the Majors. His upside overshadowed his 8-for-48 (.167) performance in the Grapefruit League, though he showed his on-base ability by drawing 10 walks in 20 games and his at-bats got better over the course of Spring Training.
The biggest question about Campbell is where he fits best defensively and how good he can be with the glove. He bounced between second base, shortstop and center field while seeing brief action at third base in 2024. He also got a taste of both outfield corners in his pro debut.
Despite his athleticism, Campbell lacks smooth infield actions. He has average arm strength with a funky throwing stroke, which limits his effectiveness on the left side of the infield. He made the Red Sox as a second baseman and manager Alex Cora (who played 14 seasons in the Majors as an infielder) spent time in Spring Training helping Campbell refine his defense at the keystone.
Though Campbell doesn't display great instincts in the outfield, perhaps because of his limited experience there, many scouts believe he'll wind up in left field in the long term. If he produces like he's capable, he'll be a star no matter where he plays.