{"id":54926,"date":"2025-05-13T12:07:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T12:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=54926"},"modified":"2025-05-13T12:07:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T12:07:39","slug":"roman-anthony-and-marcelo-mayer-will-debut-eventually-kristian-campbell-has-advice-for-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=54926","title":{"rendered":"Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer will debut eventually. Kristian Campbell has advice for them"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It\u2019s been roughly six weeks since Kristian Campbell made his big-league debut for the Boston Red Sox in Texas at the end of March, and he\u2019s made the transition to the majors just about as seamlessly as possible.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old Campbell won American League Rookie of the Month for March\/April, hitting .301 with a .902 OPS, along with four homers and eight doubles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m definitely happy and pleased with how it\u2019s going so far,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m surprised too, because I didn\u2019t know. I\u2019m just learning the game at another level. It\u2019s just very interesting and always keeps me thinking. Every day I feel like I learn something new, whether it\u2019s about somebody on the other team or just the team in general.\u201d<\/p>\n

A combination of Campbell excelling and the Red Sox lineup struggling convinced manager Alex Cora to move Campbell into the cleanup spot during the last homestand after he\u2019d missed a few games with right rib discomfort. In the four-hole, Campbell has faced his first bit of adversity, going 3-for-26 with seven strikeouts through his first six games. After a day off Sunday, Campbell was back at cleanup Monday in Detroit as the Red Sox lost in a 14-2 blowout. Campbell went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.<\/p>\n

Even with a small hiccup, Campbell\u2019s success thus far is a blueprint the Red Sox would undoubtedly love to see replicated by fellow top prospects outfielder Roman Anthony and infielder Marcelo Mayer when they debut in the not-too-distant future. When their debuts might come remains one of the biggest questions hovering over the team, but Campbell\u2019s emergence as an everyday player for the Red Sox has been among the best early-season storylines.<\/p>\n

Both Anthony and Mayer have gotten off to fast starts for Triple-A Worcester, which has only increased the calls for them to make the leap to the big leagues. Through 35 games, Anthony, who turned 21 on Tuesday, is hitting .302 with an .899 OPS, five homers and five doubles along with 28 walks and 33 strikeouts. The 22-year-old Mayer is hitting .269 with an .811 OPS, seven homers and five doubles along with 13 walks and 29 strikeouts in 34 games, but over the past month, he\u2019s hit .303 with a .929 OPS.<\/p>\n

Though there\u2019s an opening in Boston at first base with Triston Casas out for the year, the Red Sox have said they don\u2019t plan to transition either Mayer or Anthony to first base.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem like that\u2019s in the plans right now,\u201d chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said after Casas\u2019 injury. \u201cI think both of those guys, obviously, are showing the ability to impact both sides of the ball (offensively and defensively). But given the bright futures that they have ahead of them at their respective positions, introducing additional variables doesn\u2019t make a ton of sense right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breslow has also said he doesn\u2019t plan to promote either player if they are not going to be in the lineup regularly, as Campbell has been.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\"Roman<\/p>\n

\n

Coming into the season, all three Red Sox prospects ranked among the top 30 in baseball. (WooSox Photo\/ Ashley Green \/ USA Today Network via Imagn Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Like everyone else outside the Red Sox front office, Campbell does not know when Anthony or Mayer will debut, but he\u2019s been taking notes over the first several weeks of his big-league career to pass on to the pair whenever they do arrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got here, everyone told me to be myself and do what I did in the minor leagues and I\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThat\u2019s made me successful so far, I just try not to make it bigger than it is, even though it is a big step into Major League Baseball. So I would tell (Anthony and Mayer) to be the same as they are, don\u2019t try to do too much, but take it in at the same time because you debut one time and it is definitely going to be different. It hits people differently in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell is in a unique position having played in both the infield (31 games) and outfield (five games) to offer insight to each player.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeed of the game is a little bit faster,\u201d Campbell noted. \u201cI would tell Marcelo, specifically, for the infield, know who\u2019s up to bat and know who\u2019s running. Make sure your internal clock is good, knowing how fast guys are helps because I learned that early. Some plays are dead when there\u2019s no play, there\u2019s no play. There\u2019s not too much you can do when that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anthony has played 12 games in left, eight games in center and four in right for Worcester. Campbell said the biggest thing he\u2019d advise Anthony (or any outfielder) about playing out there in the majors, and especially at Fenway Park, is continuing to learn the wall, whether Anthony is in left field or center.<\/p>\n

Like in the majors, outfielders in Triple A use defensive placement cards to help them be in the best position to track down the ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being on your card and knowing exactly where you\u2019re supposed to be, whoever\u2019s up at bat just being very specific, and being in the right spot at all times,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cIn the minor leagues, you have to be in the right spot, but you\u2019re held to a higher standard here in the major leagues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell has done a nice job of adjusting to big-league pitching. He hasn\u2019t gone more than two games without getting a hit through his first 35 games. He said playing every day in spring training, like both Anthony and Mayer did, helped him see advanced pitching more frequently, giving him a better idea of what to expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to talk about it, but until you face it and go through it, it\u2019s different,\u201d Campbell said, noting that velocity, pitch usage, shape and overall game-planning are more advanced than in the minors. \u201cAnd once you get used to it, you adjust.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Red Sox have made a point in recent years of running their pregame hitters\u2019 meetings the same way from their lower-level affiliates all the way through the majors. In the meetings, players and coaches sit down to discuss scouting reports for the starter and any relievers they may be facing that day, what the pitchers throw, in which counts, how often, etc.<\/p>\n

Campbell said that continuity has helped him immensely in preparing to face new pitchers on a near-daily basis. He still does some studying on his own to prepare.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually when I get to the park, depending on who it is and how different it is compared to some of the other people I\u2019ve seen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Campbell has been lauded for being able to make quick adjustments and credits that to having a good memory. He doesn\u2019t need to be told too often how to fix something for him to make the change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m learning as I play \u2014 once you see it and learn it, you remember it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While the Red Sox have only been on the road at eight different ballparks so far, Campbell has clocked the nuances of each in his memory bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time you go to Texas, it\u2019s bouncy, now I know that,\u201d he said. \u201cLike let\u2019s say if Roman or Marcelo debuted in Texas, that\u2019s the first thing I\u2019d tell them, as soon as you hit a groundball, you get these high hops. Roman, I\u2019d tell him not to run up too close to the ball so it doesn\u2019t bounce over his head. Little things like that I can share. In Toronto, it\u2019s turf also, but the infield does not bounce as much, but the outfield does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell\u2019s emergence as a top prospect last season came so quickly that he didn\u2019t have much time to feel the pressure to perform. Conversely, he thinks because Anthony and Mayer have dealt with the spotlight for so long as hyped prospects, they\u2019re accustomed to it and won\u2019t have much of a problem with the scrutiny in Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like they know how to handle it,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean this is the biggest stage, but they\u2019ve had it their whole life really. I just became a prospect when I got here; before, I wasn\u2019t really a prospect coming up when I was younger. So, I think they\u2019ll be just fine with the pressure. And I don\u2019t think it really is pressure. I think it\u2019s more of just learning and feeling confident.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Top photo of Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer from spring training: Danielle Parhizkaran \/ The Boston Globe via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Jen McCaffrey<\/strong> is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Red Sox. Prior to joining The Athletic, the Syracuse graduate spent four years as a Red Sox reporter for MassLive.com and three years as a sports reporter for the Cape Cod Times. Follow Jen on Twitter @jcmccaffrey<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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