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

[moonslav59]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

100%, no. 

I think I'd rather trade him than add him to the 40. (Not hand him away, though, and many teams are facing a Rule 5/40 Man roster crunch, at the same time.)

[mvp 78]

Just now, moonslav59 said:

I think I'd rather trade him than add him to the 40. (Not hand him away, though, and many teams are facing a Rule 5/40 Man roster crunch, at the same time.)

I agree. He didn't show anything in the pen in AAA. He has never been impressive to me. They've had him for two years and he hasn't made an on field jump the way other pitchers have. It would just be a different story if he could be a bulk innings guy and maybe he eventually becomes a starter. They have too many young pitchers they are already squeezing onto the 40 man. Someone is going to get left out. 

[moonslav59]

10 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I agree. He didn't show anything in the pen in AAA. He has never been impressive to me. They've had him for two years and he hasn't made an on field jump the way other pitchers have. It would just be a different story if he could be a bulk innings guy and maybe he eventually becomes a starter. They have too many young pitchers they are already squeezing onto the 40 man. Someone is going to get left out. 

Pitching is such a high need area for almost every team that demand via trade will be high. 

Some team might see him as being significantly better or as having higher hopes than their worst 1-2 pitchers on the 40 or Rule 5 list. I think someone offers more than he's worth via trade. Trading him for a comp pick would be nice.

We've overloaded our farm with pitchers, so I think some might be included in package trades, this winter.

[Kimmi]

It seems as though Campbell was promoted too quickly, and after he experienced a little bit of early success with the Red Sox, a lot of expectations were placed on him.  He was asked to play a couple of different defensive positions, and he was asked to bat in the cleanup spot.  That's a lot for a then 22-year old rookie to shoulder.

That said, there is a reason why Campbell was so highly ranked as a prospect.  He has the talent.  He's played all of 67 games as the big league level.  It is far too early to give up on him, defensively as well as offensively.

[Kimmi]

As far as what position Campbell should play, I think I'd leave him at 2nd base.  Yes, I know his defensive metrics were awful this year, but that's in a small sample.  Put him in a position, and let him play it and learn it well.

Of course, a lot is dependent on what happens with Bregman, Mayer, and Casas.

 

[Larry Cook]

9 hours 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?

Sandlin, Grissom, sogard, trade bait filler pieces 

[moonslav59]

Just now, Larry Cook said:

Sandlin, Grissom, sogard, trade bait filler pieces 

I'm not sure how much trade value Grissom & Sogard have, especially for winter trades where most teams are not looking to add more players to their 40. I'd add Eaton and Toro to the list of trade guys or non tenders. Lowe is a tough call. We may try to non tender then re-sign at lower than than the arb estimate.

We may just choose to roll the dice and not protect Sandlin, but I think he has trade value.

If we end up making some sort of 3 for 1 trade for Ryan or Keller, where all 3 are 40 man roster players, we should have room to add Sandlin to the 40, plus a couple or three signings. (Maybe Sandlin will be part of that trade.)

[Larry Cook]

Romero and toro with 2 taters and 5 RBI’s each tonight. 
arias with his 2nd Portland tater tonight. 
 

unberstine threw a great game tonight. 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Larry Cook said:

Romero and toro with 2 taters and 5 RBI’s each tonight. 
arias with his 2nd Portland tater tonight. 
 

unberstine threw a great game tonight. 

Campbell had 3 hits, too. He's up to .828. Guerrero may be nearing a call-up.

Arias is up to .757, now. I think he holds his national ranking.

[notin]

16 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

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.

But he had a good fielding percentage in those 40 chances!! 

[TedYazPapiMookie]

On 9/10/2025 at 4:57 PM, 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?

Not related to Campbell, Rafaela or Duran.  I just like to keep presenting facts, so fans don't have to rely on uninformed opinions.  For one month, he proved he has the talent to succeed at the MLB level.  That was a better start than Anthony had, a better start than Mayer had and pretty much all other recent prospects except maybe Rafaela.  His inability to deal with his first experience with failure is not unusual many players have experienced it. 

Trout came up late in 2011 and played 40 games and hit .220, less than Campbell.  He started 2012 at AAA and graduated to the MLB in 20 games and never looked back.  Babe Ruth in 1914 he was an outstanding pitcher playing for a minor league team called the Baltimore Orioles.  To raise money, they sold Ruth to the Red Sox for four games, but Boston liked their other pitchers and returned hm to the Orioles.  As a two-way player he went 2 for 10 for Boston in 1914 before being returned to Baltimore.  In 1915, he never looked back as a two way player for Boston.

The future is never certain based on a short segment of performance.  

If your eyes are so keen, maybe you should contact Campbell and let him know what changed after his first month so he can rejoin the team before the playoffs.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

19 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

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.

Everything you wrote is categorically wrong and shows a complete lack of baseball knowledge.  Stop embarrassing yourself with ridiculous berating of Boston prospects.  Clearly your comments about him at Georgia Tech shows you never played college baseball in a scholarship situation at a big university.  Go ask a real player from a major university how scholarships work and who gets priority.  You are so naive in your comments!! 

That's why I continually ask that you not comment on my comments.  You can try to brow beat the others who may not have any significant experience, but you simply embarrass yourself discussing baseball with me.  Stop while you are behind.  I've politely asked that for months.

[mvp 78]

14 hours ago, Kimmi said:

It seems as though Campbell was promoted too quickly, and after he experienced a little bit of early success with the Red Sox, a lot of expectations were placed on him.  He was asked to play a couple of different defensive positions, and he was asked to bat in the cleanup spot.  That's a lot for a then 22-year old rookie to shoulder.

That said, there is a reason why Campbell was so highly ranked as a prospect.  He has the talent.  He's played all of 67 games as the big league level.  It is far too early to give up on him, defensively as well as offensively.

Trying to turn him into a super sub was an "interesting" decision to say the least. It's not the route I would have gone. If you think he has a chance at 2b, you leave him there for a few years. If you think he's better off in the OF, just put him out there. This is a case where the org's value of versatility has hurt a player's development. They also admitted that Kristian was rushed and skipped some developmental steps along the way. If so, shame on them TBH. 

[mvp 78]

4 hours ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

If your eyes are so keen, maybe you should contact Campbell and let him know what changed after his first month so he can rejoin the team before the playoffs.

We all know what changed, he got injured and hasn't been the same since. 

Prior to being scratched for rib discomfort: 902 OPS 4/30

After being scratched for rib discomfort: 465 OPS 5/4-6/18, plus AAA numbers and metrics that are down from '24

He was playing great up until the injury. He needs an offseason more than almost anyone else. 

[Kimmi]

6 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Trying to turn him into a super sub was an "interesting" decision to say the least. It's not the route I would have gone. If you think he has a chance at 2b, you leave him there for a few years. If you think he's better off in the OF, just put him out there. This is a case where the org's value of versatility has hurt a player's development. They also admitted that Kristian was rushed and skipped some developmental steps along the way. If so, shame on them TBH. 

I don't disagree with any of this.  I'm all for versatility, and I think there is a lot of value in players who can play multiple positions well.  With Campbell's early MLB success, the Sox got a little ahead of themselves with how much they thought he could handle.  Some players can handle it pretty seamlessly.  Campbell couldn't.

That being the case, I agree that you give him one position and leave him there.  I hope to see him back with the big league team next year.

[moonslav59]

If it was me, I'd have played him at corner OF in AAA, once he was demoted. 

I can see the argument for 1B, but I just don't see that as his long term position.

I don't want a utility player that sucks on defense, but can play 6-7 positions. He'd have to hit .800 to be worth it, which he might be able to do, but I'll just take an .800 DH or corner OF'er who can probably play better D by playing there FT.

[MADSTORK]

The kid should be back in the Majors playing second base or an OF position today yesterday and tomorrow 

The current crop of beer leaguers in Boston are on there way to blowing a potential playoff position

The kid looks as if he has turned the corner at the plate, where is he?

 

 

 

[illinoisredsox]

A refresher for our newer posters; don’t feed the trolls.

[moonslav59]

Like clockwork

[mvp 78]

On 9/13/2025 at 4:41 PM, MADSTORK said:

The kid should be back in the Majors playing second base or an OF position today yesterday and tomorrow 

The current crop of beer leaguers in Boston are on there way to blowing a potential playoff position

The kid looks as if he has turned the corner at the plate, where is he?

No, he hasn't.