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Physical Description: Tall,
athletic frame with some remaining projection. Has already
gotten stronger in his first full season and looks to have more
room to grow in his upper body.
Hit:
Starts slightly closed and in a crouch. Timing device utilizes a
toe tap and then a slight leg lift. Strong hand-eye coordination
and contact skills. Rarely swings and misses. Good hand speed,
strong wrists and plus bat speed. Line drive swing that sprays
the ball to all fields. Swing is unorthodox, but works for him.
Runs a solid in-zone contact rate, though it has gotten slightly
worse against more advanced arms. Approach is solid; works
counts and will take a walk, but needs to improve his
recognition of breaking balls. Looks jumpy at the plate, but
does a good job controlling himself and makes good swing
decisions. Makes a lot of hard contact on the ground. Will
always face questions about how he will handle velocity given
his swing, but so far it has not given him trouble. Potential
plus hit tool.
Power: Plus raw power to
all fields, but in-game power plays below that because his swing
is more geared toward line-drive contact and does not generate
as much loft. However, he has the power to turn those line
drives into homers as well. Power output increased massively in
2024 after off-season swing adjustments allowed him to better
tap into the power in his frame. Above-average power potential.
Run: Plus speed. Shows both on the bases
and in the field.
Field: Versatile
defender who moved all around the diamond in the minors,
primarily playing second base, shortstop and center field. Looks
like he will focus on second base and left field in the majors.
Looks most comfortable at second base, where he played in
college. Shows solid athleticism and range in the infield. Is a
little unorthodox with his movements, especially when turning
the double play, but has made major strides in that area in a
short amount of time in the majors. In the outfield, he is still
learning the nuances of the position, especially with his reads
and routes, but has the raw athleticism and speed you look for
out there and to cover up for most errors. After playing just
one season of college baseball and moving around a lot as a
professional, needs reps and experience at whatever position(s)
he settles at to develop on the defensive side of the game.
Potential average defensive profile with the versatility to
adequately play at least three positions.
Arm:
Average arm. Passable on the left side of the infield, but best
suited for second base.
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Career Notes: Father, Kenneth, played football
at Tennessee. Signed as a draft-eligible sophomore. Played in
the Northwoods League in 2022 after redshirting as a freshman.
Participated in the 2023 Fall Performance Program. Played in
2024 Spring Breakout game. Had one of the most impressive
seasons in all of minor league baseball during his 2024
breakout, rising from being ranked in the mid-40s on the
SoxProspects rankings prior to spring training, to 22nd coming
out of camp, to being considered one of the game's top prospects
on national rankings at the end of the season. Was the consensus
minor league player of the year in 2024, being so-honored by
Baseball America and Keith Law of The Athletic, while also being
named MLB Pipeline's Hitting Prospect of the Year and Breakout
Player of the Year. Participated in the Red Sox Rookie
Development Program in January 2025. Started 2025 Spring
Breakout game, hitting a home run in the game. Won a job in the
MLB starting lineup as a non-roster invitee to major league camp
in 2025, initially struggling during camp but performing better
as he became more comfortable.
Summation:
Potential impact everyday player. Ceiling of a consistent
all-star. Still has some variance in his projection due to his
unorthodox swing, but is a plus athlete. Took a major step
forward in 2024 and established himself as one of the top
prospects in all of baseball, a truly meteoric, unique rise from
being a fairly unheralded Day 2 draft pick the previous July.
Has made massive strides at the plate with his quality of
contact while maintaining the ability to make good swing
decisions. Hit-over-power profile, but hits the ball hard enough
that he should be able to hit 15-plus home runs a season and a
bunch of extra base hits while maintaining a high average and
consistently getting on base. Might initially struggle with the
adjustment to major league pitching, but has shown the ability
to quickly adjust to new levels in the minors. Future defensive
home remains to be determined, but shows the most promise at
second base. Has the athleticism to handle short, third and
center field potentially, but needs more reps defensively at
whatever position he lands at and will have to show that he can
adjust to the speed of the major leagues. Quiet personality, but
has a very strong work ethic and has really taken to
instruction, elevating himself into a high-end prospect in the
process.
Links
Red Sox select Kristian Campbell with fourth-round compensation
pick (7.10.23)
Notes from the Field (3.18.2025) |
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