Article: If Not First Base, Where Will Kristian Campbell's Home be in Boston?

[Brandon Glick]

I still believe in Kristian Campbell's bat, and I encourage you to have faith as well. I know things got really, really ugly for a while there -- he slashed .159/.243/.222 (29 wRC+) in 140 plate appearances from May 1 until his demotion in mid-June -- but let's not forget that this is a rookie who had one of the hottest months in baseball this season (.301/.407/.495, 148 wRC+ in April) when he first cracked the major league roster. I'd also be remiss not to remind you that Campbell is just 23 years old and began the 2024 season in High-A Greenville. He had a meteoric ascension to the big leagues; a setback against the best pitchers in the world shouldn't dissuade anyone from buying his long-term potential.

But, even if the Red Sox are losing faith in his most prodigious skill, he's not going anywhere. He signed a lucrative eight-year extension back in April, worth $60 million at minimum and as much as $100 million if the team picks up both option years at the end of the contract. That's an investment you can't just sweep under the rug, especially with how purposeful the Red Sox have been with spending money recently. Every dollar on the books matters, and the team's decision to eschew Campbell's cheap years of team control for a sturdy salary reflects a commitment to him and his development, struggles or not.

So, that leaves us with a question that seemingly has no right answer: Where will Kristian Campbell play in Boston going forward?

Let's put something out there right upfront: Kristian Campbell was awful at second base with the Red Sox this season. He made seven errors in less than 500 innings at the keystone while he was in the big leagues, "earning" -15 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), -8 Outs Above Average (OAA), and -9 Fielding Run Value (FRV). These stats aren't perfect for "pace analysis" in the same way that home runs or stolen bases are, but extrapolate those numbers over a full season (roughly two-and-a-half times as many innings as Campbell played at second), and you get a player worth -37 DRS, -20 OAA, and -22 FRV. I mean, holy moly. That's how bad Campbell was in the field for the Red Sox this season (and that's not including his below-average time in the outfield). And yes, to answer your biggest question, those would all be the worst marks in baseball this season.

Defenders can absolutely improve over time -- Nathaniel Lowe was worth -10 OAA the year before he won his Gold Glove in 2023 -- but it's not the same kind of growth as hitting. Plate approaches are so fickle, and there's so many moving parts to them; any given change could be the thing that fixes or breaks a player's swing and turns them into (or reverts them from being) an All-Star. Fielding is a different beast. You can learn the ins and outs of a position, get more athletic, develop a stronger throwing arm, or just plain get better with more repetitions, but the truth with fielding is that you can either handle a certain position, or you can't.

Campbell certainly has the athleticism to stick at second base (he even drew some innings at shortstop and third base last year), but the results are what they are. If the goal is to have him back in the major leagues by Opening Day 2026, then sticking him at a position where he's actively negating a ton of his offensive value isn't going to help Campbell or the team.

Over the last few months, the answer to the "Campbell Position Conundrum" (the "CPC", if you will) has been first base. He's been getting a ton of reps in Triple-A Worcester at the position, and there were many who were calling for him to handle the cold corner in Boston before Lowe was brought in after a disappointing trade deadline. However, that spot has never been the best use of his athleticism, and Senior Director of Player Development Brian Abraham all but confirmed that it won't Campbell's long-term defensive home going forward.

“First base was an immediate trial to see if that could work," Abraham told the Pesky Report. "That probably will end up not being as much of a focus going forward. I see him being more of a 2B/OF type opportunity."

Whatever the reason may be -- the team anticipates Triston Casas being fully healthy, or they expect to re-sign Nathaniel Lowe, or they want to keep the position open for a competition in spring training -- this is the right call for Campbell's future. To be a first baseman in the majors, you have to hit. Campbell can certainly offer that kind of production, but that's a lot of pressure on a guy who lost all semblance of his confidence at the plate before being demoted back to Triple-A.

The smoothest fit is obviously second base. That would allow Marcelo Mayer to take over the hot corner for Alex Bregman (assuming he leaves in free agency), or it could push Mayer into a super-utility role where his excellent glove could benefit a multitude of positions (if Bregman sticks around). We've already acknowledged how disastrous Campbell was there, though, and unless he makes marked improvements over the offseason, it's hard to imagine the coaching staff willingly subjecting him to a position he can't play competently.

That leaves the outfield, which Abraham made sure to note when discussing the CPC. In fact, Campbell is starting to get some time in right field with the WooSox, perhaps as a "break glass in case of emergency" option if Wilyer Abreu can't return from his injury before the playoffs.

The issue, of course, is that the Red Sox have an abundance of slick-fielding outfielders, from all-universe defender Ceddanne Rafaela in center to Abreu, a reigning Gold Glover, in right. If you like what Roman Anthony brings to the table in left (you should), then there's your starting outfield for the next half-decade, and that obviously fails to mention Jarren Duran, who has proven more than capable of handling each outfield spot in a pinch.

So, where does that leave Campbell? The Red Sox could stash him in a super utility role, but do you really want to keep moving him around when the primary focus is on his bat? They could task him with learning third base over the offseason if Bregman leaves, but Mayer is a wildly superior defender and has already shown off his defensive prowess at the hot corner. Shortstop is probably off the table if Trevor Story is still around, but that's probably true regardless given Campbell's struggles at second base.

Assuming the team doesn't try a Carlos Narvaez-Campell catching tandem, that only leaves one spot for the talented rookie: designated hitter. We already know that Alex Cora hates the idea of stashing one of his über-athletic youngsters in that spot, but given the layout of the team right now, it's hard to imagine where else Campbell fits if it's not first base. 

That scenario would prevent the team from using one of their four star outfielders at DH, as well as their successful Masataka Yoshida-Romy Gonzalez platoon, but that's genuinely the only spot left if second base doesn't work out. Is that something the Red Sox would be okay with?

The CPC has no obvious answer, even as the Red Sox try to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks. It feels like asking for a miracle given that the priority is patching the holes in his plate approach, but Campbell could quell a lot nerves about his long-term future if he can show up to spring training ready to play literally any position on the diamond.

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[moonslav59]

1. LF: he needs to work on the angles, but I'd rather have him in LF than CF.

2. DH

3. 1B

[mvp 78]

24 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

1. LF: he needs to work on the angles, but I'd rather have him in LF than CF.

2. DH

3. 1B

If he doesn't look good in the IF, he becomes a COF. 

[Hitch]

I'd happily trade him for pitching if he still has as much value as some seem to think, as I don't see him having a position here. But I don't believe that's possible, so hopefully we can find some use for him. Left field feels possible, but if he could just figure out 2nd base it would certainly help. 

[moonslav59]

48 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

If he doesn't look good in the IF, he becomes a COF. 

I read somewhere that he had trouble judging the the hooks on balls hit to COF, but they didn't really give him much time there in AAA. My guess is, they want to first see, if he can play 1B well enough, and our OF overload might be a factor, too. (RHB OF'ers: Rafaela & Jh Garcia are both better defenders.)

[moonslav59]

33 minutes ago, Hitch said:

I'd happily trade him for pitching if he still has as much value as some seem to think, as I don't see him having a position here. But I don't believe that's possible, so hopefully we can find some use for him. Left field feels possible, but if he could just figure out 2nd base it would certainly help. 

The obvious choice is DH, but we have 13 of those, already.

[mvp 78]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I read somewhere that he had trouble judging the the hooks on balls hit to COF, but they didn't really give him much time there in AAA. My guess is, they want to first see, if he can play 1B well enough, and our OF overload might be a factor, too. (RHB OF'ers: Rafaela & Jh Garcia are both better defenders.)

He's a bad defender, but if his bat is good enough it'll play above Garcia. 

[moonslav59]

27 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He's a bad defender, but if his bat is good enough it'll play above Garcia. 

He has to be better with the bat to beat our Jh Garcia for a corner OF slot. I'm not sure he can be "that much" better, but he does seem to have the potential to be so.

Both are RHBs, as is Rafaela, so I'm not sure we keep all 3 as FT or near FT OF'ers, since we have 3 more proven LHB OF'ers in Anthony, Duran and Abreu. 

I seriously doubt we start next year with these 6 still on the 40.

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

He has to be better with the bat to beat our Jh Garcia for a corner OF slot. I'm not sure he can be "that much" better, but he does seem to have the potential to be so.

Both are RHBs, as is Rafaela, so I'm not sure we keep all 3 as FT or near FT OF'ers, since we have 3 more proven LHB OF'ers in Anthony, Duran and Abreu. 

I seriously doubt we start next year with these 6 still on the 40.

We've said before "there's no way all these guys are still on the roster" and have seen offseasons come and go. Who know what the OF rotation looks like. I would say that two spots go should go to Rafaela and Anthony. I'm open to any other combination of guys after that. 

[Maxbialystock]

Based on the comments, I'd say the OP is right on target.  DH is wrong for an athlete like Campbell, but his fielding apparently stinks wherever he goes.  Plus there is not yet convincing evidence his hitting has improved.   This might not even be worth discussing were it not for Campbell's 8 year $60M contract.  

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Where will Campbell's home be in Boston? I'm guessing an apartment somewhere near Fenway.

MA9500-Hi-Fi-News-July-2022.pdf

[moonslav59]

47 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

We've said before "there's no way all these guys are still on the roster" and have seen offseasons come and go. Who know what the OF rotation looks like. I would say that two spots go should go to Rafaela and Anthony. I'm open to any other combination of guys after that. 

That's how I feel, but I am not so sure Rafaela deserves a slot all that much more than Abreu and Duran.

Abreu should be given a chance to play FT. He improved more vs LHPs, this year and has the same two year OPS vs LHPs as Duran. He's a way better defender than Duran and his abilities in RF make him pretty close to Rafaela's defensive value in CF.

Duran might be a platoon batter, if his speed wasn't such an extra asset. He's a good defender but not like Rafaela and Abreu. My guess is Jh Garcia is better on D than he is and can play RF better. (Maybe not CF.)

As much as we've talked about the need to trade a LHB OF'er, I'm wondering if trading Rafaela, Jh Garcia or Campbell might be a better choice. The return value changes things, too.

IMO, Anthony is the only "Keeper," although I'll trade anyone for a better return. I'm a big fan of defense and Rafaela, but I like Abreu's D and everything Duran brings to the table, too. We could keep the 4 of them, if the DH slot was open, but it isn't, as of now.

We don't get Ryan for KC + JH Garcia + 2 from Clarke, Paez, Sandlin & Mullins.

[Larry Cook]

The best place for Campbell defensively is left field. 
 

the problem is that left field should be Anthony’s home for the next 15 plus years. 
 

abreau is a really good defensive outfielder in right field. 
rafeala is an amazing defensive center fielder. 
 

assuming in 2026 we start Anthony (LF), rafeala (CF) and abreau (RF) in the outfield. Refsynder is a really good fourth outfielder that eats left handed pitching, but does he return in 2026? 
 

If refsynder returns in 2026, we can stash Garcia and Campbell in Worcester. Yoshida can be a DH!  
 

the elephant in the room becomes Duran!!  

[mvp 78]

In 290 Innings, Roman has put up 8 DRS/4 OAA in RF. I think he could capably take over for Abreu. If they moved on from Abreu instead of Duran, I don't think there's a big slippage in defense. 

[moonslav59]

10 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

The best place for Campbell defensively is left field. 
 

the problem is that left field should be Anthony’s home for the next 15 plus years. 
 

abreau is a really good defensive outfielder in right field. 
rafeala is an amazing defensive center fielder. 
 

assuming in 2026 we start Anthony (LF), rafeala (CF) and abreau (RF) in the outfield. Refsynder is a really good fourth outfielder that eats left handed pitching, but does he return in 2026? 
 

If refsynder returns in 2026, we can stash Garcia and Campbell in Worcester. Yoshida can be a DH!  
 

the elephant in the room becomes Duran!!  

Yoshida is always my elephant. Duran could DH and be the 4th OF'er. Ref, KC or Jh Garcia could be kept around as a RHB option, but not all 3.

[Larry Cook]

26 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Yoshida is always my elephant. Duran could DH and be the 4th OF'er. Ref, KC or Jh Garcia could be kept around as a RHB option, but not all 3.

Maybe we trade yoshida to the dodgers for tanner scott. Exchange bad contracts and hope Bailey can fix scott????

[moonslav59]

22 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

Maybe we trade yoshida to the dodgers for tanner scott. Exchange bad contracts and hope Bailey can fix scott????

Taking back a big(ger) salary is one way to unload Yoshida. Adding a decent prospect or two to the deal might be another. Paying $12-14M a year is another.

I do think an important step towards building a winning 26 and 40 man roster is that when you feel you are close to getting "there," you need to identify the highest areas of improvement needed and where you have depth that is as good or nearly as good as the starter and use those two aspects as driving forces to create a trade.

Almost every MLB roster, at some point in the season, carries players like Toro, Eaton and Sanchez, but also guys like Grissom and Yoshida, who offer just enough hope and value to think they should get another chance.

When you look back at 2020, the 5 guys I just listed are probably better than 10-15 on that roster, but that doesn't make it okay. 1 -2, okay- maybe 3, but 5 or more is limiting your manager's choices. With 10 guys on the 60, we were able to expand the choices, and many have worked out well.

I'd really like to see us go into 2026 with no Yoshida, Grissom, or guys like Toro, Eaton and Sanchez. Maybe one guy like Sogard is okay. Guys like DHam are borderline, but he plays good 2B D (a weak area) and can PR, too. Okay, so Sogard and DHam are our 39th and 40th roster slots. The rest need to have better value that them.

We've backed ourselves into a roster crunch by needing to add Tolle and early to the 40 before Rule 5. Chances are, they'd have been added in 2026, anyway, but adding them now creates a winter 40 man crunch, since there is no 60 Day IL to stash players and make the 40 man into a 50 man roster.

We don't have big Rule 5 crunch, this year (maybe Sandlin, Mullins and ___?) That will help.

I'm also thinking our roster is at the point where we need to narrow the focus on additions that are higher quality and not be thinking quantity by trying to half-fill our 5-6 biggest need areas. We don't have 5-6 open slots. Better to choose 2-3 major areas of concern and add just 2-3 top quality players. No more Buehlers, Wilsons and Hicks types. I'm thinking maybe even Lowe needs to be nontendered and upgraded. Fred is right about there being too much "mediocrity," but just don't tell him I said that. (Also, I disagree that guys like Rafaela or sub mediocre or at the mediocrity level.)

If we can pull off a 3 for 1 trade for someone like Ryan or Keller, then maybe we can go from 2-3 to 3-5 major additions, but then we start butting aginst JH's wallet.

[mvp 78]

I think part of the Rule 5 crunch will be offseason deals of some of these young guys.

Bleis

Castro 

Hoppe

Mullins

Paez

Sandlin

Uberstine

The likelihood of some of these guys to be picked is pretty low, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them get dealt. 

Players the Sox have lost in previous drafts:

2024 - Angel Bastardo

2023 - Shane Drohan (returned), Ryan Fernandez

2022 - Thaddeus Ward, Andrew Politi (returned), Noah Song (returned)

Strong orgs get players taken. Sox will probably have another pitcher selected this year.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

Its amazing how Campbell's future is being decided by a partial season at age 23 less than two years after being drafted.  It's like everything he did in his first 22 years doesn't matter.  Wow, it's so typical of the inexperienced Red Sox fan base.  What have you done lately is always the most important factor in evaluating players.  It's never about the proven success of a player, it's about the last few weeks of play.

I'm still rooting for him to be traded so he can stop all the current discounting of his great success until 2025 by the front office, his manager and the ignorant portion of the fan base.

Looking at his history, he was an outstanding SS at a top HS program in Georgia, he was a top ranked SS in the most elite select baseball in the country (Perfect Game).  He was NOT marketed heavily by his family through the early years like Mayer and Anthony so he wasn't recruited like them, but he went to Georgia Tech after proving his skills in the Northwood Summer League at age 20 when Georgia Tech red-shirted him since he wasn't highly marketed.  His first and only year at Georgia Tech at age 21 he was converted to 2B and played 34 games at the position after many years of games at SS.  In June of 2023 he's drafted in the fourth round by BOS and immediately goes to ROK ball and after 8 games he's hitting .391 with an OPS of 1.082.  Because he was drafted in June his time in 2023 was limited but he still got a promotion to Hi-A for 14 more games.  He hit .267 with a .822 OPS.  At ROK he got 4 starts at 2B and made 1 error in 14 chances.  At Hi-A he got 10 starts at 2B and made no errors in 29 chances.

At this point in his career after playing SS for years he had played 34 college games at 2B and 14 starts at 2B so his 48 starts at 2B hardly makes him a 2B after playing shortstop his whole life.  In 2024, he played 40 games at Hi-A, 56 games at AA and 19 games at AAA where he hit .306/.362/.286 respectively with OPS numbers of .976/1.045/.897 in his first full season in the minors.  Defensively, with Mayer getting injured yet again in 2023, Boston chose to play Campbell at his normal position of SS once he was promoted to AA.  He got 21 starts with 1 error in 67 total chances (.984 FLD %) and 11 starts at AAA playing SS where he made 2 errors in 40 total chances.  By comparison Mayer (the preordained SS of the future for BOS) started 65 games at SS and had 10 errors at AA in 212 total chances (.953 FLD %) in 2024 as comparison to Campbell at SS his primary position.  

So coming into 2024 Campbell's history on defense was that he played his entire HS and elite select baseball at SS, 34 games at Georgia Tech at 2B, 60 games started at 2B in the minors, 32 games started at SS in the minors and 31 games in the 3 OF positions.  

From all this experience we take his 54 games at 2B in the MLB after playing roughly 60 games in the minors at the same position and 34 games in college and decide he's no good at 2B because his fielding percentage dropped from .974 to .968 going from the minors to the majors while learning 1B and playing a few games in the outfield at age 23?  League Fielding % at 2B in 2025 is .982.  So he played below league average.  You can throw out all the contrived metrics on defense since they have no validity.  It's all about executing plays hit to you.  Imagined circumstances used in the highly inaccurate metric calculations are meaningless since they are hypothetic not real.

So we have Bregman who won't opt out, Story who will be here at least 2 more years, the injury prone Mayer who is a "chosen one" and will play 2B if Bregman and Story remain.  We have an excellent cheap 1B in Nate Lowe who should be resigned to compete with Casas or at least back him up.  We have Anthony in LF, Duran in CF and Rafaela in RF with Abreu DH/4th outfielder.  

There is no future for Campbell in Boston.  Trade him for more pitching depth and give the poor kid a chance to play in a quality organization that wants him.  He got a long term contract because he has been GREAT his entire life until May of 2025.  He deserves a ton of respect for his accomplishments from the Red Sox organization and fans but he's not getting it so trade him and release him from Cora jail and front office stupidity.  Let the kid find a spot on a team that supports him.  He's not like Anthony and Mayer, he has no silver spoon.  He EARNED everything he's achieved and the first time he struggles he gets crapped on by the entire gamit of people who should be supporting him - Cora, the front office and the ignorant segment of the fan base.  He deserves better.  He should be applauded for all he has overcome to get to where he was at the start  of the 2025 season.   He's not a utility player who should bat at the bottom of the order like Duran was and now Rafaela is.  He's a potential annual all-star that needs the support of the organization and his manager just like Duran and Rafaela.

Instead, let's keep watching the Hamiltons and Abreus of the world despite their obvious limitations.  One guy needs to steal 1B to get on and the other guy simply can't hit lefties!!!  What a joke!!

Give the kid a break and trade him to keep his chances for success alive not buried in the minors.

 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

I think part of the Rule 5 crunch will be offseason deals of some of these young guys.

Bleis

Castro 

Hoppe

Mullins

Paez

Sandlin

Uberstine

The likelihood of some of these guys to be picked is pretty low, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them get dealt. 

Players the Sox have lost in previous drafts:

2024 - Angel Bastardo

2023 - Shane Drohan (returned), Ryan Fernandez

2022 - Thaddeus Ward, Andrew Politi (returned), Noah Song (returned)

Strong orgs get players taken. Sox will probably have another pitcher selected this year.

I thought Sandlin was a lock to be protected, and he may still be, but even he is a bit borderline. None of the others look like "must keeps." I like Mullins and Paez, but have lost too much faith in Bleis. Uberstine is borderline. Bye-bye to Castro or Hoppe, if someone want one.

I think we add one- maybe two.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

1 hour ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Its amazing how Campbell's future is being decided by a partial season at age 23 less than two years after being drafted.  It's like everything he did in his first 22 years doesn't matter.  Wow, it's so typical of the inexperienced Red Sox fan base.  What have you done lately is always the most important factor in evaluating players.  It's never about the proven success of a player, it's about the last few weeks of play.

I'm still rooting for him to be traded so he can stop all the current discounting of his great success until 2025 by the front office, his manager and the ignorant portion of the fan base.

Looking at his history, he was an outstanding SS at a top HS program in Georgia, he was a top ranked SS in the most elite select baseball in the country (Perfect Game).  He was NOT marketed heavily by his family through the early years like Mayer and Anthony so he wasn't recruited like them, but he went to Georgia Tech after proving his skills in the Northwood Summer League at age 20 when Georgia Tech red-shirted him since he wasn't highly marketed.  His first and only year at Georgia Tech at age 21 he was converted to 2B and played 34 games at the position after many years of games at SS.  In June of 2023 he's drafted in the fourth round by BOS and immediately goes to ROK ball and after 8 games he's hitting .391 with an OPS of 1.082.  Because he was drafted in June his time in 2023 was limited but he still got a promotion to Hi-A for 14 more games.  He hit .267 with a .822 OPS.  At ROK he got 4 starts at 2B and made 1 error in 14 chances.  At Hi-A he got 10 starts at 2B and made no errors in 29 chances.

At this point in his career after playing SS for years he had played 34 college games at 2B and 14 starts at 2B so his 48 starts at 2B hardly makes him a 2B after playing shortstop his whole life.  In 2024, he played 40 games at Hi-A, 56 games at AA and 19 games at AAA where he hit .306/.362/.286 respectively with OPS numbers of .976/1.045/.897 in his first full season in the minors.  Defensively, with Mayer getting injured yet again in 2023, Boston chose to play Campbell at his normal position of SS once he was promoted to AA.  He got 21 starts with 1 error in 67 total chances (.984 FLD %) and 11 starts at AAA playing SS where he made 2 errors in 40 total chances.  By comparison Mayer (the preordained SS of the future for BOS) started 65 games at SS and had 10 errors at AA in 212 total chances (.953 FLD %) in 2024 as comparison to Campbell at SS his primary position.  

So coming into 2024 Campbell's history on defense was that he played his entire HS and elite select baseball at SS, 34 games at Georgia Tech at 2B, 60 games started at 2B in the minors, 32 games started at SS in the minors and 31 games in the 3 OF positions.  

From all this experience we take his 54 games at 2B in the MLB after playing roughly 60 games in the minors at the same position and 34 games in college and decide he's no good at 2B because his fielding percentage dropped from .974 to .968 going from the minors to the majors while learning 1B and playing a few games in the outfield at age 23?  League Fielding % at 2B in 2025 is .982.  So he played below league average.  You can throw out all the contrived metrics on defense since they have no validity.  It's all about executing plays hit to you.  Imagined circumstances used in the highly inaccurate metric calculations are meaningless since they are hypothetic not real.

So we have Bregman who won't opt out, Story who will be here at least 2 more years, the injury prone Mayer who is a "chosen one" and will play 2B if Bregman and Story remain.  We have an excellent cheap 1B in Nate Lowe who should be resigned to compete with Casas or at least back him up.  We have Anthony in LF, Duran in CF and Rafaela in RF with Abreu DH/4th outfielder.  

There is no future for Campbell in Boston.  Trade him for more pitching depth and give the poor kid a chance to play in a quality organization that wants him.  He got a long term contract because he has been GREAT his entire life until May of 2025.  He deserves a ton of respect for his accomplishments from the Red Sox organization and fans but he's not getting it so trade him and release him from Cora jail and front office stupidity.  Let the kid find a spot on a team that supports him.  He's not like Anthony and Mayer, he has no silver spoon.  He EARNED everything he's achieved and the first time he struggles he gets crapped on by the entire gamit of people who should be supporting him - Cora, the front office and the ignorant segment of the fan base.  He deserves better.  He should be applauded for all he has overcome to get to where he was at the start  of the 2025 season.   He's not a utility player who should bat at the bottom of the order like Duran was and now Rafaela is.  He's a potential annual all-star that needs the support of the organization and his manager just like Duran and Rafaela.

Instead, let's keep watching the Hamiltons and Abreus of the world despite their obvious limitations.  One guy needs to steal 1B to get on and the other guy simply can't hit lefties!!!  What a joke!!

Give the kid a break and trade him to keep his chances for success alive not buried in the minors.

 

Using my eyes it was apparent that Campbell wasn't 'big show' ready either offensively or defensively. Btw, are you related to Campbell?

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Just now, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Using my eyes it was apparent that Campbell wasn't 'big show' ready either offensively or defensively. Btw, are you related to Campbell?

Also, you might want to put a leash on your arrogance.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

...

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

...

[illinoisredsox]

3 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Also, you might want to put a leash on your arrogance.

Just remember, he is a “superior baseball mind”, as opposed to all us “youngsters”  who know nothing.

I can’t decide if he is a really good troll or an absolute tool.  Either way, I find him amusing.

The only thing surprising about his reply was it took so long to show up.  The rest of the plot we’ve read before.

[Larry Cook]

22 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Using my eyes it was apparent that Campbell wasn't 'big show' ready either offensively or defensively. 

Campbell did not look ready in spring training! 

[mvp 78]

15 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I thought Sandlin was a lock to be protected, and he may still be, but even he is a bit borderline. None of the others look like "must keeps." I like Mullins and Paez, but have lost too much faith in Bleis. Uberstine is borderline. Bye-bye to Castro or Hoppe, if someone want one.

I think we add one- maybe two.

I was just listing all the guys that hadn't been added to the 40 man yet that the Sox need to make a decision on (could be added, dealt or potentially picked). 

[mvp 78]

16 hours ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Its amazing how Campbell's future is being decided by a partial season at age 23 less than two years after being drafted.  It's like everything he did in his first 22 years doesn't matter.  Wow, it's so typical of the inexperienced Red Sox fan base.  What have you done lately is always the most important factor in evaluating players.  It's never about the proven success of a player, it's about the last few weeks of play.

I'm still rooting for him to be traded so he can stop all the current discounting of his great success until 2025 by the front office, his manager and the ignorant portion of the fan base.

Looking at his history, he was an outstanding SS at a top HS program in Georgia, he was a top ranked SS in the most elite select baseball in the country (Perfect Game).  He was NOT marketed heavily by his family through the early years like Mayer and Anthony so he wasn't recruited like them, but he went to Georgia Tech after proving his skills in the Northwood Summer League at age 20 when Georgia Tech red-shirted him since he wasn't highly marketed.  His first and only year at Georgia Tech at age 21 he was converted to 2B and played 34 games at the position after many years of games at SS. 

Campbell is a terrible SS. He has no range and a poor arm for the left side of the IF. If he was going to be an MLB caliber SS, Georgia Tech wouldn't have pushed him to 2b IN HIS AGE 21 SEASON. David Hamilton played SS for Texas at age 19 and 20 and nobody on here wants him anywhere near SS for the BoSox. Being good at SS in HS means nothing. If he wasn't good enough to play SS at Georgia Tech, he shouldn't be good enough to play in Boston.

[moonslav59]

34 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I was just listing all the guys that hadn't been added to the 40 man yet that the Sox need to make a decision on (could be added, dealt or potentially picked). 

Yes, I took your list as you intended. We've talked about this, before.

Quick question, do you see Sandlin as a 100% lock to be protected?

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Yes, I took your list as you intended. We've talked about this, before.

Quick question, do you see Sandlin as a 100% lock to be protected?

100%, no.