Red Sox’s Kristian Campbell Soaring Through First Professional Year

PORTLAND, Maine — Kristian Campbell is on a total tear since the Boston Red Sox promoted him to Double-A at the start of June.

The Georgia Tech product burst onto the scene with the Portland Sea Dogs and swiftly took home Eastern League Player of the Month honors in June hitting .398 with a 1.136 OPS for the Red Sox affiliate. The 2023 fourth-rounder stayed hot out of the All-Star break, extending his hitting streak to 12 games in a series against the Reading Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies Double-A).

“I think it’s definitely the experience because I’ve never been through spring training or anything until this year,” Campbell told NESN.com on Friday. “Definitely just being around a lot of people. A lot of new faces coming out of college was a big deal. I think I adjusted pretty well to it.”

Campbell clearly made a smooth transition into the Portland clubhouse loaded with marquee Red Sox prospects. He noted that a welcoming environment centered around winning made for an enjoyable move to a “special” lineup with the likes of quality hitters such as Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel and Blaze Jordan.

“It was really welcoming,” Campbell shared. “Everybody was super cool. Super enjoyable to be around. The main thing about this team is that they want to win. They want to win every game.”

Campbell is a versatile talent while playing mostly second base. Vaughn Grissom and Nick Yorke are often the young talents that come to mind for the future of that position for the Red Sox, though Campbell may just be hitting his way into that conversation. Ultimately, his versatility and ability to play the outfield may just be his benefactor for future elevations.

The Red Sox have a loaded farm system. There’s several ways that should benefit Boston as soon as in the coming weeks.