Campbell goes yard in third straight for Sea Dogs

There’s being red-hot at the plate, and then there’s the season Kristian Campbell is putting together.

The 2023 compensatory fourth-round pick, who opened the season unranked on MLB Pipeline’s Red Sox Top 30 list, has taken pro ball by storm, slashing .306/.418/.558 with High-A Greenville before earning a promotion to Double-A Portland and producing even stronger numbers.

His latest feat came on Sunday, when the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket homered in his third consecutive contest, as part of the Sea Dogs' 9-8 win over the Altoona Curve. The wallop raised Campbell's Double-A slash line to .380/.484/.592 and his 2024 OPS to 1.032 -- a mark that leads all full-season leagues in the Minors.

Unlike his first two wallops in the streak, which were both pulled over Hadlock Field’s Maine Monster in left, Campbell’s jack on Sunday – his 15th of the year -- was drilled to the opposite field. The homer came on a sinker from right-hander Eddy Yean and cut the Altoona lead to 6-4 in the fifth.

“[He was a] sinker, slider dude,” Campbell said. “I caught [the pitch] late, and just happened to catch it at the right time to drive it [out to right field].”

Currently ranked as Boston’s No. 30 prospect, MLB Pipeline’s gurus recently tabbed Campbell as the biggest riser in the organization and someone who is primed to make a considerable jump in the revamped rankings that will be unveiled on Tuesday night. Additionally, Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra noted that Campbell is among the five frontrunners for the Minor League Hitting Prospect of the Year award.

The 22-year-old reached base two other times in the contest, walking in the third and lacing a single to center field in the ninth.

While Campbell’s elite numbers are one of the biggest surprises of the Minor League season so far, his hit tool has always been his strength. In 45 games at Georgia Tech, the Marietta, Ga., native slashed .376/.484/.549. The main difference in his production since turning pro has been the emergence of his power.

“Ever since I got drafted, this whole year I've been in the org, we've been working on just my bat path and trying to hit the ball in the air more often,” said Campbell who only hit four homers in college. “I was a really big ground ball, line drive guy. I never really hit the ball to air too much. I hit the ball on the ground really hard, and I hit line drives really hard, I just never got the right launch angle to produce home runs.”

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Campbell stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 191 pounds. The Red Sox identified his big frame and knew he had untapped power potential.

“I feel a lot more comfortable at the plate in pro ball vs. college,” Campbell said. “In college, I was kind of really down on my knees, low to the ground. So, that's the only thing I really changed with my swing. Everything else was strictly bat path and bat speed.”

Shortly after the victory, it was reported by multiple sources and confirmed by MLB.com's Ian Browne that the Red Sox are promoting their top three prospects -- Marcelo Mayer (MLB No. 6), Roman Anthony (MLB No. 13) and Kyle Teel (MLB No. 23) -- to Triple-A Worcester.

Anthony and Teel both had standout performances in the win, with Anthony swatting a game-winning big fly in the eighth inning and Teel going 3-for-5 with a double.

“The Portland team is crazy,” said Campbell prior to the announcement of their promotion. “We have a stacked lineup. We got Roman [Anthony], Marcelo [Mayer], [Kyle] Teel, we got Blaze [Jordan], we got a lot of dudes on this team.

“Everybody wants to win for this team. ... They're all really, really good, and they make the game a lot easier.”