Three Reasons Why Kristian Campbell Reportedly Made Red Sox Roster

The first of the Red Sox’s big three prospects to reach Boston is, on the surface, the most surprising.

Kristian Campbell has made the big league club and will break camp as Boston’s Opening Day second baseman, according to multiple reports. The club’s other two highly touted prospects, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, look destined for Triple-A Worcester … at least to start the season.

One report indicated Mayer just missed the cut, and it looks like Anthony — the No. 1 prospect in baseball — will be on the wrong side of the roster crunch, too, assuming Wilyer Abreu is good to go.

While Campbell might not have the pedigree of Mayer (the 2021 No. 4 overall pick) and Anthony, it’s not shocking he’ll make the trip to Texas to start the season this week. In addition to being really good, he checks some necessary boxes for Red Sox roster building.

Here are three reasons Campbell will start the year as a big leaguer.

The ability to make adjustments
There’s a reason you have to let the process play out. If you had this conversation on March 2, Campbell’s spot in Worcester would be written in permanent marker. He went 0-for-11 with eight strikeouts to start the spring. Campbell started to turn things around after getting his first hit March 3 against Baltimore. He then cut down his strikeout rate, going down on strikes just nine times in his next 34 at-bats, a stretch that also included eight walks. The results weren’t always been there — Campbell has eight hits to show for this spring — but the process is what’s important.

As Alex Cora noted this weekend, Campbell’s batted-ball metrics pointed to progress, too. Those numbers are tougher to access in spring training when they aren’t available for every game. But a performance like March 18’s game vs. the Yankees undoubtedly helped. Campbell went 0-for-2, but he worked a walk, and the two balls he put in play were hard hit (both with exit velocities of more than 100 mph), including a 358-foot flyout with an expected batting average of .820. There’s enough good stuff happening with the process to believe the results will come. And if they don’t, there’s enough to believe Campbell can work his way out.

Fitting a spot
Campbell isn’t a stranger to second base where he played at Georgia Tech. He’s been far from a mainstay there in his limited time as a pro, bouncing around the diamond and playing nearly as many games in the outfield as he did at second base. Second base isn’t easy, and with just 420 professional innings at the position under his belt, a learning curve might be expected for Campbell. He has the tools to adapt quickly, though, and flashed some leather during spring training. Most notably, the athleticism that allowed him to play all over the infield should help him flourish with more time on the dirt.

It will help that he has a natural first baseman in Triston Casas to his left and a very good defensive shortstop, Trevor Story, to his right. Assuming Alex Bregman wasn’t moving off third base (more on that in a second), Campbell’s ability to play a position where there wasn’t a clear option (no disrespect to David Hamilton), helped set him apart from Mayer and Anthony, who are essentially blocked.

Tying it all together
It sounds like Cora and Craig Breslows have navigated the Rafael Devers waters successfully. Devers has made his desire to play third base known, and the Red Sox have made it clear they believe they’re better with Bregman at third. Even if not everyone is totally happy, it’s what’s best for the club. Believing in Campbell as a big league second baseman from Day 1 makes it easier to stick Bregman at the hot corner. On paper, it’s their best lineup. It also helps that Campbell can move around the diamond, playing some outfield as needed or even giving Story a breather at short if needed.

Ultimately, Campbell’s proven ability to adjust on the fly paired with his defensive potential that gives the club flexibility is why he’ll become a major leaguer Thursday.