The Boston Red Sox have a trio of talented young prospects closing in on debuts in the big leagues. However, it looks like they may soon have a fourth and he is earning comparisons to MLB home run king Barry Bonds.
Despite a sluggish start to the season, the Red Sox enter the MLB games today in the thick of the Wild Card race. They are in the same division as two of the best teams in baseball but it has not stopped them from being competitive and playing better than some MLB experts expected.
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Adding to that hope for returning to a consistently competitive club is that the Red Sox have three potential-rich prospects currently in Triple-A. Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel are the top three players in the team’s farm system on MLB.com. Furthermore, Mayer and Anthony are considered among the 10 best in the entire sport.
Yet, there is a player a level below who has the potential to be the best of the bunch and is already ranked among the top five in their system. In a conversation this week with Boston.com, Anthony showered massive praise on fellow prospect Kristian Campbell and compared him to one of the greatest players in MLB history.
Boston Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell dominating Double-A in second season in minors
“We call him Barry Bonds just because of how good of a hitter he is,” Anthony said about his former minor league teammate. “He’s a great player. He’s a freak athlete. Plays the game the right way and he’s a great person on and off the field.
“It’s rare that you can get a guy like that who can play so many different premium positions and play at the level that he plays at while putting up the numbers that he has put up.”
Kristian Campbell stats (Double-A): .367 AVG, .473 OBP, .588 SLG, 1.061 OPS, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 29 R, 3 SB
Campbell can play several spots on the infield and outfield. Yet, what makes his upside so exciting is after playing well in rookie league and Single-A last year, the 22-year-old has gotten even better at Double-A. Usually, there is a bit of a decline when moving up a level but that hasn’t been the case for the former Georgia Tech star.
His numbers are up across the board for the Portland Sea Dogs, he was a monster in June and has shown power and speed for the Boston Red Sox Double-A team. At this rate, it is a matter of time before he joins the “Big Three” in Triple-A.
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