The Boston Red Sox's most important breakout in 2024 may not have been at the major-league level.
2023 fourth-round pick Kristian Campbell was phenomenal this year, hitting the cover off the ball through three levels of the minor leagues. He shot up prospect rankings all season, leading all qualified hitters in organized minor-league baseball in OPS, before a lat injury ended his year on Sept. 15.
A versatile infield/outfield prospect, Campbell has seen time at four different positions this year, but second base looks like it could become his long-term home. That's a position of need for the Red Sox, and Campbell has been hitting so well, it looks as though he could fill that need.
On Monday, the recognition continued to pour in for the 22-year-old rising star. Campbell was named Baseball America's Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. He was also named one of three finalists for MLB.com's MiLB Hitting Prospect of the Year.
"There may not have been a more productive hitter in the Minors this year than Campbell, a fourth-round pick in 2023 out of Georgia Tech," said MLB.com writer Joe Trezza. "Campbell led all Top 100 prospects in total bases, ranked second in runs, third in hits and on-base percentage, fifth in batting and sixth in OPS."
The lat injury may have taken away Campbell's opportunity to debut at the big-league level in 2024, but it seems all but certain he will get his chance at some point in 2025. But the big question has become: How soon will that debut arrive?
With other second-base options like Vaughn Grissom and Enmanuel Valdez sputtering, the door is wide open. If Campbell has a strong spring, there's a very good chance he will earn a look to begin the season, possibly even as the full-time starter.
