Passan: Boston Red Sox Optioning Kristian Campbell

[Matthew Lenz]

The struggle has been real for former Boston Red Sox top prospect Kristian Campbell. The 23-year-old has a .223/.319/.345 slash line with six home runs and two stolen bases across 263 plate appearances. Overall, his production - or lack thereof - computes to a 86 wRC+.

Campbell has been used as the teams primary second baseman, but has played a little outfield with the big-league club. After Tristan Casas' injury, he was also getting practice reps at first base.

If there is one positive to take away from his first two and a half months in the big league it's that his walk rate was 11%. However, a strikeout rate of 27.4% and swing percentage may indicate that he needs to be a bit more aggressive at the plate.

From a scale of 1-10 how concerned are with you Campbell's long term outlook?

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[Nick]

Was 1st month just luck? Clearly Mayer had better spring than Campbell. Mayer is far superior defensive player and Mayer also looks more comfortable at the plate.

It's really hard to watch Campbell anymore. He can't get the ball airborne. He looks scared out in the field.

1% tile in defense? Well someone has to come last.

 

[dgalehouse]

It had to happen. It was getting painful watching the kid struggle. He still has plenty of potential and getting a little more seasoning in AAA should be beneficial. 

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

Well, when I mentioned devers being traded a few months back, I was bombarded with "devers forevers, he's never getting traded". Then he got traded.

A couple of weeks ago I said that campbell needed to be sent down. I was bombarded with "it will kill his confidence" and "he has nothing left to prove at AAA". Now he's getting sent down.

I don't want to say I'm Nostradamus or anything, but......

Well, maybe closer to Carnac the Magnificent.......

[sk7326]

42 minutes ago, dgalehouse said:

It had to happen. It was getting painful watching the kid struggle. He still has plenty of potential and getting a little more seasoning in AAA should be beneficial. 

Going back down is not a crime - he moved very quickly ... about time he see some adversity ... we'll see how it goes 

[moonslav59]

Word is Abreu is getting the call. That was quicker than I expected.

I think we all like KC more than DHam & Eaton, but if he wasn't going to play more often than not, then this was the right thing to do.

[illinoisredsox]

Unfortunately, the Sox moved him along way too quickly..  One year of major college ball and 130-140 games of minor league ball did not prepare him for the majors; indeed it would be extremely rare for any player to be ready that quickly.

For probably the first time in his life, he failed on the baseball field.  Now he has to be mentally tough enough to play through it and get it back.

i also hope the Sox put him at one position at Worcester and leave him there.  He doesn’t need the added stress of playing multiple spots.

i can’t remember if I posted it in a game thread or just thought it, but when he struck out the last time up yesterday, he looked totally defeated.  He had a blank look on his face as he returned to the dugout.

[FredLynn]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Word is Abreu is getting the call. That was quicker than I expected.

I think we all like KC more than DHam & Eaton, but if he wasn't going to play more often than not, then this was the right thing to do.

They were pitching him in and hard and he couldn't handle it. He should consider moving a bit off the plate as Middlebrooks said during some of the ABs.

[moonslav59]

25 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

They were pitching him in and hard and he couldn't handle it. He should consider moving a bit off the plate as Middlebrooks said during some of the ABs.

That could be it. Or, he could just be streaky.

2024:

.559 first 44 PAs

1.278 next 43 PAs (.917 first 77 PAs)

.692 next 120 PAs

.962 next 120

.593 last 120

2023:

.950 first 58

.671 last 27

 

[Maxbialystock]

6 hours ago, TheSplinteredSplendor said:

Well, when I mentioned devers being traded a few months back, I was bombarded with "devers forevers, he's never getting traded". Then he got traded.

A couple of weeks ago I said that campbell needed to be sent down. I was bombarded with "it will kill his confidence" and "he has nothing left to prove at AAA". Now he's getting sent down.

I don't want to say I'm Nostradamus or anything, but......

Well, maybe closer to Carnac the Magnificent.......

I think most of us thought it was time, that is, if the Sox want to win games.  Right now Christian is a defensive liability--ditto hitting.  

That 8 year contract should soften the blow.  

[TedYazPapiMookie]

4 hours ago, FredLynn said:

They were pitching him in and hard and he couldn't handle it. He should consider moving a bit off the plate as Middlebrooks said during some of the ABs.

Roman Anthony .074/.194/.222/.416 with 1 SB and an OPS+ of 17!!!!!  Naturally Cora has him batting 3rd in the line-up.  No favoritism there!!!  

Sabol batting .125/.167/.188/.354 with 0 SB and an OPS+ of -1 (never seen a minus before) AAA player wasting a spot that could go to Abreu when he returns.

Wong Batting .154/.257/.154/.211 with 1 SB and an OPS+ of 20 AAA player wasting a spot because he's the only other catcher that the manager thinks highly of despite his numbers.

Hamilton Batting .172/.206/.269/.475 with 12 SBs and an OPS+ of 32 AAA player.  A pinch runner who Cora has glorified into a daily starter despite his ridiculously bad numbers this year and for his career.

Mayer Batting .220/.277/.475/.751 with 0 SBs and an OPS+ of 106 Good power bat bad contact sketchy history of fielding needs to show improvement.  Without Devers' bat being replaced yet, someone needs to hit the solo homer than wins the game 1-0.

Campbell Batting .223/.319/.345/.664 with 2 SBs and an OPS+ of 87 Making first MLB adjustments but unlike Devers when he went through it, Cora this time chooses to send the player down despite him being the ONLY prospect that showed success in the MLB.  

Campbell after starting out the best of all the prospects enjoyed a .301 batting average through the end of April (29 games) but has plummeted once other teams got a book on him.  Who should that be an issue for since he was 2024 Minor League Player of the Year and has outshined the higher-profile Anthony and Mayer?  Cora?  The Hitting Coaches?  This has been handled very poorly. 

Since Anthony has yet to look good and Mayer has ONLY connected on a few HRs, but his average has been hovering below Campbell's latest average, how does the team decide just Campbell needs to go back while they keep Hamilton, Wong and Sabol on the 26-man roster?  Better yet, what Einstein thought having Campbell play two outfield positions and learn 1B was a good idea instead of letting him focus on getting used to MLB defense at 2B as a converted SS?  

How many bad games does Anthony need to have before people consider him a loser like they do Campbell despite his HUGE success through his first 29 games?  Same for Mayer.  I guess as long as he hits home runs and bats .220 Cora will keep him up in the MLB. 

FYI... Campbell has struggled defensively at 2B so far, yet his fielding percentage is still higher than Mayer's was in the minors at SS.  Now that's irony.  Fans write that Campbell sucks but Mayer who sucked worse gets a free pass.  Go figure.  The luxury of privilege.

Isn't it great to see an evaluation system that is so fair to everyone?  What a joke.

Somebody needs to start doing their job for ALL the prospects and players not just the privileged ones.  This team needs all the players to develop techniques for making in season adjustments.  Somebody needs to make that happen and not by ignoring them in the MLB and sending down to AAA to humiliate them.  You don't hit .300 and even .400 in the first month of the season if you don't have talent.  Where was the manager and coaches when it was time to teach making adjustments?

Breslow, you need a set of coaches and manager that can help the prospects not just sit around and act like a bench coach.

[illinoisredsox]

2 hours ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

 

Sabol batting .125/.167/.188/.354 with 0 SB and an OPS+ of -1 (never seen a minus before) AAA player wasting a spot that could go to Abreu when he returns.

Wong Batting .154/.257/.154/.211 with 1 SB and an OPS+ of 20 AAA player wasting a spot because he's the only other catcher that the manager thinks highly of despite his numbers.

This may be your worst post yet.

I’ll start with Wong, who is now reduced to backup catcher status and is playing about once a week.  Is there another catcher in the organization who you’d rather see in that position?  It’s a serious question, because while Wong was passable last year, that player hasn’t shown up this year.

As for Sabol, he hasn’t been on the 26 man roster since May 2nd (when Wong came off the DL) and was DFA’d and outrighted to Worcester the first few days of June. He’s currently taking up no space on any part of the major league roster.

What these catchers have to do with Campbell’s status (or that of any other non-catcher position player) escapes me but whatever.

I’m not addressing any other of the players mentioned because you are so biased towards Campbell and against anyone else that it would be fruitless. 

If Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout can be sent down after their first major league experiences, so can Kristian Campbell.  If he’s at all the player you think he is, he’ll be back up later this year and have a good career.

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

8 hours ago, Maxbialystock said:

I think most of us thought it was time, that is, if the Sox want to win games.  Right now Christian is a defensive liability--ditto hitting.  

That 8 year contract should soften the blow.  

Well, my point is that most of you took way too long to realize the obvious.

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

8 hours ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Roman Anthony .074/.194/.222/.416 with 1 SB and an OPS+ of 17!!!!!  Naturally Cora has him batting 3rd in the line-up.  No favoritism there!!!  

Sabol batting .125/.167/.188/.354 with 0 SB and an OPS+ of -1 (never seen a minus before) AAA player wasting a spot that could go to Abreu when he returns.

Wong Batting .154/.257/.154/.211 with 1 SB and an OPS+ of 20 AAA player wasting a spot because he's the only other catcher that the manager thinks highly of despite his numbers.

Hamilton Batting .172/.206/.269/.475 with 12 SBs and an OPS+ of 32 AAA player.  A pinch runner who Cora has glorified into a daily starter despite his ridiculously bad numbers this year and for his career.

Mayer Batting .220/.277/.475/.751 with 0 SBs and an OPS+ of 106 Good power bat bad contact sketchy history of fielding needs to show improvement.  Without Devers' bat being replaced yet, someone needs to hit the solo homer than wins the game 1-0.

Campbell Batting .223/.319/.345/.664 with 2 SBs and an OPS+ of 87 Making first MLB adjustments but unlike Devers when he went through it, Cora this time chooses to send the player down despite him being the ONLY prospect that showed success in the MLB.  

Campbell after starting out the best of all the prospects enjoyed a .301 batting average through the end of April (29 games) but has plummeted once other teams got a book on him.  Who should that be an issue for since he was 2024 Minor League Player of the Year and has outshined the higher-profile Anthony and Mayer?  Cora?  The Hitting Coaches?  This has been handled very poorly. 

Since Anthony has yet to look good and Mayer has ONLY connected on a few HRs, but his average has been hovering below Campbell's latest average, how does the team decide just Campbell needs to go back while they keep Hamilton, Wong and Sabol on the 26-man roster?  Better yet, what Einstein thought having Campbell play two outfield positions and learn 1B was a good idea instead of letting him focus on getting used to MLB defense at 2B as a converted SS?  

How many bad games does Anthony need to have before people consider him a loser like they do Campbell despite his HUGE success through his first 29 games?  Same for Mayer.  I guess as long as he hits home runs and bats .220 Cora will keep him up in the MLB. 

FYI... Campbell has struggled defensively at 2B so far, yet his fielding percentage is still higher than Mayer's was in the minors at SS.  Now that's irony.  Fans write that Campbell sucks but Mayer who sucked worse gets a free pass.  Go figure.  The luxury of privilege.

Isn't it great to see an evaluation system that is so fair to everyone?  What a joke.

Somebody needs to start doing their job for ALL the prospects and players not just the privileged ones.  This team needs all the players to develop techniques for making in season adjustments.  Somebody needs to make that happen and not by ignoring them in the MLB and sending down to AAA to humiliate them.  You don't hit .300 and even .400 in the first month of the season if you don't have talent.  Where was the manager and coaches when it was time to teach making adjustments?

Breslow, you need a set of coaches and manager that can help the prospects not just sit around and act like a bench coach.

Another absolutely silly post.

First off, last I checked, managers don't decide who gets sent down. Not to mention that cora has sat anthony often and also made him do outfield drills in front of reporters after misplaying a ball. Hardly signs of favoritism.

Secondly, campbell has had 229 AB's, while mayer just 59 and anthony just 27. If they are in the same sad state as campbell at 230 AB's, then they should be sent back down as well.

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

6 hours ago, illinoisredsox said:

This may be your worst post yet.

It's like he tries to outdo himself!

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Every announcer who watches Marcelo Mayer calls him smooth, solid and composed at whatever infield position they see him play. That also includes ex-pros like Lou Merloni, who played all the same spots on the diamond: second base, shortstop, third base.

Mayer's defense makes him the best all-around player of the Big Three so far, and the best bet to be a big league regular for the rest of the this season (and maybe beyond).

Using minor league fielding stats to compare Mayer and Campbell, who at best has been awkward the past three months, is futile. Campbell is an athlete, and should improve with reps, but no one connected with professional baseball calls him polished right now compared to Mayer.

[mvp 78]

45 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Every announcer who watches Marcelo Mayer calls him smooth, solid and composed at whatever infield position they see him play. That also includes ex-pros like Lou Merloni, who played all the same spots on the diamond: second base, shortstop, third base.

Mayer's defense makes him the best all-around player of the Big Three so far, and the best bet to be a big league regular for the rest of the this season (and maybe beyond).

Using minor league fielding stats to compare Mayer and Campbell, who at best has been awkward the past three months, is futile. Campbell is an athlete, and should improve with reps, but no one connected with professional baseball calls him polished right now compared to Mayer.

Campbell is the worst 2B in MLB by DRS. He's one of the worst defenders in MLB period at 312 out of 318 in fielding run value. Why? 7 errors in 59 G is not great. A 968 Fld% is pretty rough for MLB. He has the worst range of any 2b in MLB and an OAA that is 1st percentile. If he has that bad of range at 2b, how would that translate to SS? 

In just the short time Mayer has spent at 3b, he already has a higher fielding run value than Bregman, largely because of his range. 

Why did they want to move Campbell to 1b? It had nothing to do with Devers. It had everything with him being awful at 2b. 

[notin]

6 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Campbell is the worst 2B in MLB by DRS. He's one of the worst defenders in MLB period at 312 out of 318 in fielding run value. Why? 7 errors in 59 G is not great. A 968 Fld% is pretty rough for MLB. He has the worst range of any 2b in MLB and an OAA that is 1st percentile. If he has that bad of range at 2b, how would that translate to SS? 

In just the short time Mayer has spent at 3b, he already has a higher fielding run value than Bregman, largely because of his range. 

Why did they want to move Campbell to 1b? It had nothing to do with Devers. It had everything with him being awful at 2b. 

Think Campbell plays 2b or 1b in Worcester?

The Sox know they cannot rely on ToRoGo at 1b all season, and dont have an in house candidate except the recently-promoted Blaze Jordan.  If they don’t want to keep throwing rookies at the problems and hoping they stick,  maybe this demotion was as much about Campbell getting some reps at a new position as it is about his limited offense.

Kind of makes some sense when you realize he didn’t get demoted after his .360 OPS for the month of May.  But he raised it about 300 points in June and got optioned…

[cp176]

Sending Campbell down was a rational move for both the Sox and for him.  He goes down gets plenty of swing and maybe even makes a few adjustments with his swing.  Mayer is for real and we need to find out what Anthony has.  I think any number of guys on this team would profit by thinking about the rare concept of just introducing the bat to the ball in an effort to just get runners on base and cut down on strikeouts.  I wouldn’t want Campbell to sit on Boston’s bench when he can get the needed playing time in Worcester. 

[mvp 78]

7 minutes ago, notin said:

Think Campbell plays 2b or 1b in Worcester?

Maybe both? Easier to put him at 1b in WOO than in front of the Fenway Faithless. Blaze will still get reps at 3B/DH on days that Campbell is at 1b. Grissom hasn't played 1b since May 23rd so that ship sailed. Grissom can't even hit the ball anymore so probably needs to be dealt to make roster space. 

[notin]

12 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Maybe both? Easier to put him at 1b in WOO than in front of the Fenway Faithless. Blaze will still get reps at 3B/DH on days that Campbell is at 1b. Grissom hasn't played 1b since May 23rd so that ship sailed. Grissom can't even hit the ball anymore so probably needs to be dealt to make roster space. 

I’m hoping Grissom is getting some sort of developmental program, like when they want to work on his pitch recognition so he has instructions like “no swinging at fastballs until you have two strikes.”  That would make his overall numbers suffer, but he might get better at hitting breaking stuff.

Of course I have no idea if the Sox still do stuff like that with hitters, let alone do it in AAA.  But I hope that’s the case, because if Campbell does move to 1b, Grissom is the Sox best option to keep Hamilton on the bench…

[mvp 78]

17 minutes ago, notin said:

I’m hoping Grissom is getting some sort of developmental program, like when they want to work on his pitch recognition so he has instructions like “no swinging at fastballs until you have two strikes.”  That would make his overall numbers suffer, but he might get better at hitting breaking stuff.

Of course I have no idea if the Sox still do stuff like that with hitters, let alone do it in AAA.  But I hope that’s the case, because if Campbell does move to 1b, Grissom is the Sox best option to keep Hamilton on the bench…

I'm not sure Grissom is the best option for anything going forward. I was hopeful that he'd turn it around, but it's not happening. 

[notin]

16 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I'm not sure Grissom is the best option for anything going forward. I was hopeful that he'd turn it around, but it's not happening. 

Stop ruining my Happy Space!  Hes just working on pitch recognition!!!

[mvp 78]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

Stop ruining my Happy Space!  Hes just working on pitch recognition!!!

It seems to not be going well then! 🥺

[drewski6]

2 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Every announcer who watches Marcelo Mayer calls him smooth, solid and composed at whatever infield position they see him play. That also includes ex-pros like Lou Merloni, who played all the same spots on the diamond: second base, shortstop, third base.

Mayer's defense makes him the best all-around player of the Big Three so far, and the best bet to be a big league regular for the rest of the this season (and maybe beyond).

Using minor league fielding stats to compare Mayer and Campbell, who at best has been awkward the past three months, is futile. Campbell is an athlete, and should improve with reps, but no one connected with professional baseball calls him polished right now compared to Mayer.

This is fair, Campbell kind of rocketed through the minors and that comes with drawbacks.

[moonslav59]

11 hours ago, Maxbialystock said:

I think most of us thought it was time, that is, if the Sox want to win games.  Right now Christian is a defensive liability--ditto hitting.  

That 8 year contract should soften the blow.  

It's Kristian with a "K." 

I only bring that up over the grief you gave me for calling Tyler "O'Neal."

This is about winning, now, but also about having KC play everyday.

He'll be back. I doubt he's the next Grissom.

[mvp 78]

16 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

This is fair, Campbell kind of rocketed through the minors and that comes with drawbacks.

They wanted him on the team regardless of how he played in ST. Seemed obvious that (a) Roman was playing well and should have been promoted, (b) Marcello was playing well but hadn't played any AAA so it made sense to have him start there for a little while and (c ) Campbell was playing poorly and may need a few more weeks in AAA even though he looked great in AAA in '24. 

[mvp 78]

11 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

It's Kristian with a "K." 

I only bring that up over the grief you gave me for calling Tyler "O'Neal."

This is about winning, now, but also about having KC play everyday.

He'll be back. I doubt he's the next Grissom.

With his deal, he'll be back before the end of the year. At the latest, it'll be August 1. 

[moonslav59]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

With his deal, he'll be back before the end of the year. At the latest, it'll be August 1. 

Depends on a lot of things.

Trades. We could trade for O'hearn or Hoskins and play Romy/Toro at 2B. (DHam when Toro is at 3B, but that is not an optimistic sight to see.)

KC's play in AAA.

How well the guy(s) playing 2B do from now until AUG 1st.

 

[Bellhorn04]

1 hour ago, notin said:

I’m hoping Grissom is getting some sort of developmental program, like when they want to work on his pitch recognition so he has instructions like “no swinging at fastballs until you have two strikes.”  That would make his overall numbers suffer, but he might get better at hitting breaking stuff.

Of course I have no idea if the Sox still do stuff like that with hitters, let alone do it in AAA.  But I hope that’s the case, because if Campbell does move to 1b, Grissom is the Sox best option to keep Hamilton on the bench…

Grissom is not a major league hitter.  He has a 728 OPS at Woo with a feeble 386 SLG.