MLB Delivers Major Announcement on Red Sox $60 Million Rookie, Team Responds

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The Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell is AL Rookie of the Month for April.

Kristian Campbell, who in less than two years rose from a fourth-round draft pick out of Georgia Tech to starting second baseman for the pennant-contending Boston Red Sox, has had a month of April that could only be called, in his own words, “life-changing.”

That was how the 22-year-old Campbell described the eight-year, $60 million contract extension the Red Sox bestowed on the Marietta, Georgia, on April 5 — after he had played just eight Major League baseball games.

Campbell made quite an impression in those eight games, batting .423 with an eye-popping 1.323 OPS including two home runs and four doubles. He reached base safely by either a hit or a walk not only in his first eight games, but in his first 17.

MLB Announces Extraordinary Honor for Campbell

Campbell barely slowed down until May 1, when he finally was held out of a game due to “rib discomfort,” apparently straining the muscles around his ribcage on a check swing the day before. As of Saturday, Campbell was still out of the Red Sox lineup, and was listed as “day to day” according to manager Alex Cora.

The injury, which the Red Sox believe to be a minor one, has been the only blemish on Campbell’s 32-game career so far. On Friday, Major League Baseball made a major announcement in recognition of Campbell’s achievements in the month of April — and in late March when the Red Sox played their first five contests.

MLB named Campbell the American League Rookie of the Month, in the May 1 announcement.

MLB also named Luisangel Acuña of the New York Mets National League Rookie of the Month.

In betting odds listed Saturday by Fox Sports, Campbell was the heavy favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year, at +170. Jasson Dominguez of the New York Yankees was a distant second betting favorite at +850.

Campbell finished the month of April with a .301 batting average and .902 OPS, with four home runs and eight doubles among his 31 hits. On the basepaths, the Red Sox rookie — who along with Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer (both of whom are still at Triple-A Worcester) was one of Boston’s “Big Three” top prospects — stole two bases while being caught once.

The team did not let the MLB announcement go by unnoticed, pinning its own response to the top of the official Red Sox feed on X (formerly Twitter).

“1 month in the big leagues: 1 Rookie of the Month,” the Red Sox post read.

Red Sox Have History of Rookies of the Year

The Red Sox have a long history of rookie star players. Their most recent Rookie of the Year was, like Campbell, a second baseman — Dustin Pedroia, who won the honor in 2007. The Red Sox went on to win their second World Series of the 21st century that year.

The following season, Pedrioia won another major honor — AL MVP.

But 33 years earlier, the Red Sox had a rookie who also won both awards — in the same year. Centerfielder Fred Lynn became the first player in MLB history to accomplish that double feat, in 1975 — a year in which the Red Sox went to the World Series, only to fall in seven games to the Cincinnati Reds.

No one else won both awards in one season until Ichiro Suzuki did it in 2001.

Other Red Sox Rookies of the Year since the award was first handed out in 1947 have been Walt Dropo in 1950, Don Schwall in 1961, Carlton Fisk in 1972 and Nomar Garciaparra in 1997.

Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. Vankin is also the author of five nonfiction books on a variety of topics, as well as nine graphic novels including most recently “Last of the Gladiators” published by Dynamite Entertainment. More about Jonathan Vankin