If the Red Sox had been too caught up in Grapefruit League results, they likely wouldn’t be strongly considering — if not leaning toward — installing top prospect Kristian Campbell as their second baseman to start the season.
Still, a standout performance like the one Campbell had Saturday against the Rays can’t hurt his chances.
Campbell made a driving grab to rob Jonny DeLuca of a base hit in the first, rocketed a line out to center in the third and capped off his day with his first big league homer of the spring, an opposite-field liner off righty Joe Boyle late in a lopsided Red Sox loss. For a player who (entering Saturday) had batted just .174 with a .574 OPS while looking somewhat shaky in the field at times, the performance was a refreshing one.
“He put a good swing, going the other way,” said manager Alex Cora. “Hit the ball hard to center field and made some good plays at second, then turned a double play. It was a good one for him.”
In a competition against Vaughn Grissom (since optioned), David Hamilton and fellow top prospect Marcelo Mayer for the second base position, Campbell has been given a long leash to show what he can do. And despite a somewhat ugly Baseball Reference page, the Red Sox have remained enamored with Campbell’s ability to make hard contact and control the zone.
“I saw some underlying numbers. People like that, right? He’s trending in the right direction,” Cora said before the game. “He’s hitting the ball hard and not chasing. He’s a good hitter, man. Last year, going into the season, we knew (Ceddanne) Rafaela was going to chase pitches and not catch up with the fastball. This year, if you take a look at the at-bats of the kids… Kristian was chasing pitches, and now he’s not.
“It’s whatever you guys want to make it. The numbers, you can massage them to make it work or not make it work. We all know that. But we trust the at-bats.”
Saturday — much like Tuesday’s strong defensive showing against the Orioles — may have represented something of a final exam in the eyes of the Red Sox, who might want Campbell to post some good results at the plate before deciding that he’s their guy for the start of the season. For Cora, the most intriguing part of the 22-year-old’s day was Campbell’s ability to crush, fastballs, a pitch he had struggled to hit throughout camp.
“He was on the fastball,” the manager said. “That’s the bottom line. He has been late the whole spring on fastballs and today, he got to one, hit it out in front to center field, got another one and hit it the other way. That’s the most important thing. At this level, if you get to the fastball, you’re going to be in a good spot.”
For Campbell, the swings were nothing new after a stellar offensive season in which he hit .330 with 20 homers, 77 RBIs and a .997 OPS in 115 games across all three levels.
“That’s my alley, usually, opposite field,” Campbell said. “It was good to get one that way. Stayed through it good. He was throwing really hard, so he supplied most of that power. It was a good swing, for sure.
“Working on my timing, getting my foot down, trying to be as early to the ball as possible. Trying to find that rhythm back. It’s slowly coming back, but it’s coming back for sure.”
Cora said before the game that his final decision on the second base position would be announced in Monterrey, Mexico, where the Red Sox will play exhibition games Monday and Tuesday. The Red Sox weren’t ready to make news even after Saturday’s standout showing from Campbell.
“I actually have no idea what’s going on,“ Campbell said. ”I just play until I’m told what’s going on. We’re going to Mexico. I’ll be there. I do know that.”
