Kristian Campbell improves chances of making Red Sox Opening Day roster with defensive masterpiece

It took a few weeks for Kristian Campbell to finally have a game this spring that warrants the conversation as to why he should be the Red Sox' starting second baseman.

Campbell showed off his athleticism in the field on Monday afternoon, making a couple of great diving grabs in the Sox’ 12-3 loss to the Orioles at JetBlue Park.

In the top of the first inning, he made a diving stop on a one-hopper back up the middle that looked ticketed as a base hit to center field. Instead, the 22-year-old shaded to the right side, making a diving stop, and then gunned down Orioles’ Livan Soto at first while on one knee.

One inning later, Campbell showed off his range with another impressive play to his right side, making a backhanded stop and throwing the runner out at first base.

“He did a good job, made some plays. He’s going to get more reps there. He’ll play tomorrow, too. So it feels like he’s getting comfortable,” Alex Cora said to reporters following the game. “He put a good swing [on his double] and then the walk. That was good. But I think defensively, today was the first day I was able to see it.”

Campbell is entrenched in a battle for the starting second base job with speedy David Hamilton and Vaughn Grissom. For the last couple of weeks, it’s started to look like Hamilton was separating from the pack to win the job, but Campbell’s play on Monday keeps his dreams of making the Opening Day roster alive a little longer.

At the start of camp, MLB Pipeline's No. 7 overall prospect was looked at as the front-runner to be the second baseman. Even after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, who was rumored to start the season at second, the rookie was going to be given the opportunity to win the job. 

Offensively, he’s done just the opposite, going 6-for-36 (.167) with two doubles, five runs, six walks, and 15 strikeouts in 15 Grapefruit League games. Over his last seven games, he’s started to settle in and look more comfortable at the plate; he’s 5-for-15 (.333) over that span.

“It is what it is, right? It's still Spring Training,” Cora said. “As long as we swing at the right ones, that's the most important thing. That's kind of what he does. He hits the ball hard but he dominates the strike zone. At one point, he was just swinging. We want him to make sure he’s still making good swing decisions. And when you do that over and over and over again, the results are going to come."

We know Campbell can hit and it's a matter of time before he looks like the prospect that saw a meteoric rise through the Red Sox system last season, hitting .330/.439/.558 with 20 homers and 24 steals in 115 games among High A Greenville, Double-A Portland, and Triple-A Worcester.

Once he got to Worcester, he hit .286/.412/.486 to go along with two doubles, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 17 runs scored, four stolen bases, 13 walks, and 18 strikeouts over 19 games.

Fans got a glimpse at what Campbell could do during the Spring Breakout Game against the Rays, making noise with his bat, launching a two-run homer in the third inning. He squared up the ball, showing off his opposite-field power.

“Gap to gap,” said Campell. “That’s my power, is going gap to gap, to the big part of the field. Just try to hit the ball hard and in the air, and good things happen.”

His defensive versatility and right-handed bat, make it important to the Red Sox this coming season that Campbell seizes the opportunity because he’s big-league ready. Campbell's right-handed bat can help further balance their lefty-heavy lineup. 

As he quickly rose through the Sox’ system, Campbell played second base, shortstop, third base, and center field. It’s not completely clear what position Campbell will call home when he’s finally playing every day at the big league level, but second base or left field seem to be the two likely spots.

Campbell has been working hard all spring on the nuances of playing second base consistently at the major league level. Cora mentioned earlier in camp that Campbell needs to understand how quick the game is in the bigs and the importance of making the routine play and turning the double play.

“[We] are just finding different ways to help me move more efficiently in the infield, quicker ways to turn double plays,” said Campbell. “The way I did it before wasn’t terrible, but there's little things you can do to help improve in the infield. Different ways you can use your hands, or different ways you can move your feet up that will help you move a little bit better so you don't waste any extra time that you can use to turn a double play.

“Little things just like that. You just want to be as best as you can so whenever you get out there, it’s as quick as possible turning two. Because you need those two outs whenever you can get them.”

Campbell had the ball hit to him five times on Monday, fielding each play cleanly.

“He got a good first step,” Cora added about Campbell’s defense this spring. “He moves. But the routine play is important; turning double plays is important, and he’s been able to do that.”

The Sox skipper has spoken highly about Hamilton’s defense, and his familiarity of having him on the big league roster the last couple of seasons could sway his decision on who gets the job.

“The experience matters, but at the same time we know the athlete,” Cora said of Hamilton. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself; all of them can play the position. It’s just a matter of how are we going to do it, what we’re looking for.”

That doesn’t mean that Campbell lacks the ability to put it all together and be a capable second baseman. It’s feeling like the Red Sox would rather see him get more time at Triple-A to refine his game than force him to do that up in Boston.

If Hamilton wins the job, it’s because he earned it, and that’s not saying Campbell wasted his chance in camp this spring. No one would have predicted the fast climb Campbell had through the Red Sox system last season. He has one full year of professional ball under his belt and is far from being a finished product.

The future is fascinating for what his ceiling ultimately looks like. Based on his incredible 2024, he has the makings of a multi-time All-Star in the league. His easiest pathway to the majors is at second base. Roman Anthony is a stone's throw away from Fenway Park, and the outfield is already extremely crowded.

Over the next couple of days, the Red Sox will make their final evaluations and determine if Campbell is ready to compete at the game’s highest level.

“I’ve been learning a lot this whole spring training just about baseball and when it comes to infield, outfield, and fielding in general,” said Campbell. “Just everything. I’ve been learning a lot, so it’s been good so far. I wouldn't really change anything, keep staying positive throughout the rest of camp, and we'll see what happens at the end.”