August Players of the Month: Kristian Campbell and Yordanny Monegro
0
8
Kristian Campbell and Yordanny Monegro have been named SoxProspects.com's Player and Pitcher of the Month for August. Campbell is the system's fifth-ranked prospect, and Monegro is 25th. It is Campbell's third Player of the Month award this season after winning in May and June. Monegro last won a Pitcher of the Month award in June 2023.
Campbell was in a tight race with teammate Roman Anthony this month, but Campbell was able to pull away at the end. Campbell started the month by hitting .309/.424/.636 in 14 games with Portland and then hit .306/.419/.611 in nine games after his promotion to Worcester. He led Boston's minor league affiliates with seven home runs and 22 RBI in August, and he also went seven-for-nine in steal attempts. He walked (17) more than he struck out (16) and was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for August 5-11. The 22-year-old has three months with an OPS over 1.000 and has walked more than he has struck out in two straight months. After opening the season in Greenville, Campbell is already knocking on the doors of the majors. He has played mostly shortstop in Worcester with Marcelo Mayer on the injured list.
Monegro, the 2023 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year, is amid an impressive resurgence. After his first eight starts of the year, he had an ERA of 5.79. He allowed four runs over his first two innings in his July 2 start but has gone 41 straight innings without allowing an earned run since then. This includes five scoreless innings that he threw on September 1. His season ERA is down to 2.79, and in August he went 20 innings and allowed only five hits. He struck out 27 and walked four while opponents had an OPS of .232. His .177 batting average on balls in play over his last eight starts is low, but there is not much time for it to regress as Greenville's regular season ends on Sunday. While the Drive are still in the playoff hunt, their chances are low. It will be interesting to see if Monegro gets one more start to extend his streak further.
Photo Credit: Kristian Campbell and Yordanny Monegro by Kelly O'Connor