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Kristian Campbell

Kristian Eron Campbell (born June 28, 2002) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Amateur career

Campbell attended George Walton Comprehensive High School in Marietta, Georgia. He lettered in baseball all four years of high school. In 2019, his team won the Region 5 Division 7A Championship. In 2020, he batted .373 with a .572 on base percentage and 30 stolen bases.[1] After finishing high school in 2021, he was ranked as the 125th best prospect by Perfect Game but was not selected in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.[2] He played college baseball at Georgia Tech.[3] He redshirted his first season, then played for the Duluth Huskies in summer league baseball. In 2023, he slashed .376/.484/.549 in 45 games, walking 29 times and getting hit by a pitch 11 times while striking out only 17 times.[1] He was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.[4]

Professional career

Campbell was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.[5][6] Campbell debuted as a professional in early August 2023 with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox. He was promoted to the High-A Greenville Drive later in August.[7] In 26 games, he hit .309 with seven extra base hits, 10 walks, and 17 strikeouts.[8]

He started 2024 with Greenville before being promoted to the Portland Sea Dogs.[9][10] He finished the season with the Worcester Red Sox in Triple-A, posting a combined .330/.439/.558 slash line across the three teams. He was named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America and USA Today.[11][12]

Before the 2025 season, Campbell was named a top 10 prospect by MLB.com, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, and the Athletic.[8][13][14]

On March 27, 2025, the Red Sox selected Campbell's contract after he made the team's Opening Day roster.[15][16] On April 2, Campbell and the Red Sox agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth $60 million. The deal also includes club options for 2033 and 2034.[17] Campbell reached base in his first 17 games, the second largest streak to start a career in Red Sox history.[18] By the end of April, Campbell was slashing .301/.407/.495 for an OPS of .902 with 4 HR and 12 RBI.[19] Campbell was rewarded with the AL Rookie of the Month Award for April.[20]

Personal life

Kristian Campbell is the eldest of three children born to Kenneth, a high school teacher, and Tonya, an accountant.[21][22] Kenneth played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, where he had 41 rushing attempts and one touchdown as a running back.[1][23]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kristian Campbell". Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. October 13, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  2. ^ "Kristian Campbell Class of 2021 - Player Profile". Perfect Game. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  3. ^ Caudell, Jackson. "Breaking: Georgia Tech second baseman Kristian Campbell selected in 2023 MLB Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  4. ^ "Campbell Named Freshman All-America". Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. June 7, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  5. ^ Speier, Alex (April 5, 2024). "Kristian Campbell Excites Red Sox with New Swing". Baseball America.
  6. ^ Smith, Christopher (June 5, 2024). "Fast rising Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell added 'power,' 'bat speed'". masslive.com.
  7. ^ "Kristian Campbell 2023 Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Game Logs & Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Kristian Campbell Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  9. ^ Speier, Alex (June 7, 2024). "With an awkward but powerful swing, Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell is hitting rockets at Portland". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ Speier, Alex (June 2, 2024). "Red Sox prospects Matthew Lugo, Kristian Campbell earn minor league promotions". The Boston Globe.
  11. ^ Speier, Alex (September 24, 2024). "Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell is named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  12. ^ Yomtov, Jesse (December 28, 2024). "Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell is USA TODAY's 2024 Minor League Player of the Year". USA Today. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  13. ^ Longenhagen, Eric (February 17, 2025). "2025 Top 100 Prospects". FanGraphs Baseball. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  14. ^ Law, Keith (January 27, 2025). "Top 100 MLB prospects 2025: Keith Law's rankings, with Roman Anthony at No. 1". The Athletic. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  15. ^ "Red Sox Place Liam Hendriks On 15-Day IL". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  16. ^ Speier, Alex (March 24, 2025). "Kristian Campbell, the Red Sox' top prospect, will make the Opening Day roster". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  17. ^ Maguire, Brent (March 24, 2025). "Red Sox sign elite prospect Campbell to 8-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  18. ^ McAvoy, Patrick (April 16, 2025). "Kristian Campbell Passed Ted Williams In Red Sox History Already". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  19. ^ "Kristian Campbell 2025 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  20. ^ Foster, Jason (May 2, 2025). "Judge, Alonso power their way to Player of the Month honors". MLB.com.
  21. ^ "Red Sox rookie Kristian Campbell: 'Couldn't pass up' $60M deal". ESPN.com. April 5, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  22. ^ Rosenthal, Ken (March 3, 2025). "Walmart Special: The chance 2010 meeting that bonded a Boston Red Sox prospect and former MLB All-Star". The Athletic.
  23. ^ "Kenneth Campbell College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.