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Boston Globe
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Once the Red Sox top pitching prospect, Bryan Mata remains motivated for the chance to become a big leaguer
'That's crazy,' Mata said about his status. 'When I heard about that, that I was the [longest-tenured] one in the [organization], I felt good. Obviously, [Worcester] is not the place I want to be, but at the end of the day I'm still here, and just still grinding.' For years, Mata was the top-ranked pitching prospect in the Red Sox organization. As a teenager, he showed an electric arsenal with a mid- to upper-90s sinker that featured all kinds of movement, a groundball-eliciting pitch with arm-side run that paired well with a slider to get swings and misses. He also had a curveball, changeup, and four-seamer. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up At an early age, that combination presented the raw materials of a big league starter. In 2018, he was named to the All-Star Futures Game as a 20-year-old. It seemed like a future in the Sox rotation was close at hand. Advertisement 'It really made me understand that I'm not that far away from the big leagues and I'm one of the best prospects in the minor leagues,' said Mata. 'But during the years, a lot of things happened to me. . . . It's been a long road.' Advertisement Bryan Mata, who signed with the Red Sox in 2016 and pitched in the 2018 Futures Game, is the longest-tenured Red Sox, but has not made his major league a strong 2019 campaign in High A and Double A, and after being placed on the big league 40-man roster, Mata stalled. With COVID-19 resulting in the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, he showed outrageous stuff at the alt site but wasn't ready for the big leagues. In 2021, when potentially ticketed for Triple A, he blew out, requiring Tommy John surgery that sidelined him until late 2022. Injuries limited Mata to 27 minor league innings in 2023 (his final option year) and 22⅔ minor league innings in 2024, when he spent the entire season on the injured list of the big league team but never made his debut. He spent weeks rehabbing at Fenway yet unable to finally get a long-awaited big league opportunity in a game. The proximity was painful. 'It was really hard, man,' said Mata. 'Nobody knows what we go through as a player, being there with the big guys, when you can't even play or help.' In the offseason, the Red Sox designated Mata for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot. After nine years he seemed like a change-of-scenery candidate. But Mata quickly signed a minor league deal, partly out of appreciation for the organization — 'I'm thankful for the years I've been here; [the Sox] helped me to develop as a player and as a human being' — and also because his agent suggested he'd do well to sign with a team that knew and valued him coming off years of health woes. This year, Mata has been healthier than at any point since his Tommy John surgery while working exclusively out of the bullpen for the first time in his career. There have been outings where he's looked overpowering, evident by a 30 percent strikeout rate (in the top 20 in Triple A among pitchers with at least 30 innings) and 57 percent groundball rate (fourth). In the big leagues, longtime teammate and friend Brayan Bello has taken notice. Advertisement 'I keep in touch with him often. I try to always give him some support. I know for a fact that he feels great this year, that he's just waiting for the opportunity. Hopefully that opportunity comes,' Bello said via translator. 'I have a lot of respect for him because I know how hard he's worked for this. . . . If I would see him here tomorrow, I would be as happy as he would be.' Bryan Mata was very good for the WooSox today. 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO. — Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) So what's keeping Mata from the big leagues? First, he's not on the 40-man roster, creating a roster obstacle to a callup. But his 13 percent walk rate remains too high, and his command and control are rarely locked in across a string of outings. 'The reality is, a guy like Bryan can go up to the big leagues and get outs,' said Sox farm director Brian Abraham. 'Any night, he can be as good of a pitcher as a lot of guys we have and a lot of guys on a major league team. 'But the best arms, the guys who are in the big leagues a long time, are consistent,' he continued. 'Bryan's taken a little bit of a longer time to get there. But I do think he's made a ton of progress over the years and is light years ahead of where he was when he got hurt.' Advertisement Mata is working to earn that trust. At 26, he's not old — and his velocity and stuff suggest there's plenty in his arm — but he also knows that few players are given 10 years to prove themselves with an organization. 'I'm not a kid anymore. . . . [But] I feel like the closest I've been to the big leagues is this year, because I'm healthy,' said Mata. 'If I get the opportunity one day, I just want to try to do my best, try to show people why they've been waiting for so many years. I still feel like one of those days, I'm gonna be there, helping the team to win, and doing good things. I'm ready. I'm ready. . . . But I just come here, do my work every day, and focus where my feet are.' Still, surely he daydreams about the long-awaited moment in which the home bullpen door swings open and he jogs to the mound at Fenway. Doesn't he? 'I don't like to dream too much,' he said. A player who started anticipating his big league debut seven years ago knows better than to look beyond his immediate circumstance. Three up ⋅ Infielder Vaughn Grissom has been on a torrid run for Triple A Worcester, hitting .476/.500/.810 with a homer and four doubles in his last six games. Yard work with Vaughn — Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) ⋅ After missing a month with a blister, hard-throwing lefthander Brandon Clarke has returned to the mound for High A Greenville, striking out seven and allowing one hit over 4 2/3 innings spanning two outings. ⋅ In the DSL, 17-year-old Hector Ramos is hitting .280/.413/.453 with eight extra-base hits in 22 games while flashing explosive bat speed. Advertisement 107.7 mph off the bat on this Hector Ramos home run for DSL Red Sox Blue! — Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) Three down ⋅ Though he's doing a good job of laying off pitches outside the strike zone, Kristian Campbell is still working to re-establish the timing of his swing with the WooSox. He's hitting .226/.455/.355 with 15 strikeouts in 44 plate appearances (34 percent). ⋅ After a dominant beginning (12⅓ scoreless innings) to his return from Tommy John surgery, righthanded multi-innings reliever Noah Song has struggled recently with Double A Portland, walking eight (20 percent rate) and striking out just five (13 percent rate) and allowing two homers over his last 9⅔ innings for the Sea Dogs. ⋅ Yoeilin Cespedes , 19, is 1 for 19 with eight strikeouts in his last five games for Single A Salem, dropping his season line to .231/.282/.380. While Cespedes looked like a potential fast-track candidate last year after moving up early in the FCL season, his struggles this year — especially against righties (.204/.267/.314) — suggest otherwise. Alex Speier can be reached at
New York Times
16-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Phillies minors notes on Alex McFarlane, Aroon Escobar and promoted players who've shined
Returning from Tommy John surgery was akin to relearning the game for High-A Jersey Shore pitcher Alex McFarlane. His presence on the mound, figuring out his flow while pitching, how to get out of bad innings and making in-game adjustments — all issues that McFarlane dealt with in September 2024, when he threw to live hitters for the first time in a year. Advertisement 'The mental side of the game is what I worked on a lot, obviously physically (as well),' McFarlane said. 'But the mental side is just as important. I took time to really understand how I handle adversity in any given game — just moving on to the next game, making an in-game adjustment, the little things.' The work began in earnest when McFarlane returned to the mound with Low-A Clearwater and continues now during an up-and-down High-A season, his ERA sitting at 5.72 and his record 0-6 through 11 starts. The 2022 fourth-rounder has started just 30 games across three seasons, spending some time on the development list in 2023 before returning for a handful of starts. He posted a 5.72 ERA in 50 1/3 innings that season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in the final month. The adversity of rehab — aches and pains, starting over — helped McFarlane prepare for the adversity he'd face when back on the mound. With each step, he's tried to remain calm and stay in the moment because, he said, 'once you get too far ahead in the future or dwell on the past too much, you start to lose yourself.' That mindset has helped amid difficult starts. Across three outings and 9 2/3 innings from May 28 to June 11, he walked eight and gave up 10 runs and 12 hits. In those moments, he's sought to learn, take it for what it is, and move on to the next outing. McFarlane uses a three-pitch mix that includes a strong slider. His stuff has impressed since he pitched for the University of Miami, but command has been a consistent issue; he averaged 6.79 walks per nine innings in 2023 and has logged 5.49 per nine this season. And McFarlane's strikeouts have dropped significantly since surgery; he has 33 in 39 1/3 innings this season as compared to 69 in 50 1/3 innings in 2023. Though it's good to be back, he said, there's work to be done. Advertisement 'It's not time for celebration,' McFarlane said. 'It's time to get on the mound and continue working and pushing.' Infielder Carson DeMartini was already somewhat familiar with his bearings when he was promoted to Double-A Reading on June 9. He played with his Reading teammates during spring training. He saw FirstEnergy Stadium's facilities when he visited for a High-A preseason scrimmage. The ballpark, which completed $45 million in renovations in 2024, still impressed DeMartini a few days into his tenure. 'I mean, you got the pictures hanging on the wall — Chase Utley right here behind us,' DeMartini said, gesturing to the photo behind him on the stadium's ground floor. 'A brand new weight room, state of the art kitchen, all that stuff is what I was looking forward to about professional baseball.' The familiarity has eased DeMartini's transition, and it's showing on the field. He's had a hit in all but one of his games in Reading, batting .320 with a .730 OPS. DeMartini has started the last four games at shortstop in place of Phillies No. 2 prospect Aidan Miller, who has been out due to skin irritation, according to Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation. But DeMartini has split time at third base this season, where he will likely return when Miller is back in the lineup. DeMartini credited some mental traits for his success: staying steady, working on his craft each day, and focusing on what he can control. Tinkering with his swing has also been valuable, helping him up his in-zone contact rate last season with Low-A Clearwater. 'That was the big kick,' DeMartini said. 'But really, here and there, (also working on) messing with where my feet are in the box, stance, working with some hand placements.' Prospect Aroon Escobar has stood out at Low-A Clearwater this season, hitting .315/.410/.500 through 55 games. It's unsurprising to the Phillies. Advertisement 'He's hit the ball,' Phillies director of player development Luke Murton said. 'He's hit it hard. He's swung at strikes. He's hitting all different pitch types. He's done outstanding defensively. He's done well in the infield, making all the plays, catching all the balls he should.' Escobar, who signed in 2022 as an international free agent out of Venezuela, is putting it together in his first healthy season in the United States. The 20-year-old second baseman entered Sunday ranked second in the Florida State League in hits and average, while leading in homers (10). He wasn't a standout in the Dominican Summer League in 2022 and 2023, then spent much of 2024 out with shin splints in rookie ball. But Escobar made his mark in just 24 games last year, leading the Florida Complex League Phillies (minimum 100 plate appearances) in average (.338), on-base percentage (.495) and OPS (.976). All of Escobar's starts this season have come at second base, though he played some third last season and has the arm for the position. He is not among a recent spate of promotions, though Murton said Escobar's performance ranks among many of the organization's hot starters. The Athletic's Keith Law had Escobar at No. 40 in his most recent list of the game's top prospects. 5-for-5 with a homer, 3 runs, and 2 RBI? Have yourself a day, Aroon Escobar 🙌 — Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) May 19, 2025 Here and there: • Among recent promotions: catcher Alirio Ferrebus, who slashed .267/.368/.478 in the Florida Complex League, joined Low-A Clearwater on June 10. Ferrebus can also play first base and showed an advanced approach at the plate with a strong walk rate in the FCL. The start to his Low-A career has been somewhat rocky, batting .100 with a .282 OPS through six games. • There have been some recent flashes of greatness from 2024 first-round pick Dante Nori with Low-A Clearwater: a career-high five-RBI game on June 8, going 3-for-3 with two walks and four RBIs on June 14. Those performances are welcome after Nori batted .218 with a .614 OPS in May, but finding a power stroke continues to be a struggle. He has one home run this season, which he slugged on May 10. His exit velocity sits at 86.7 mph. Advertisement • Pitcher Gabe Mosser made his first start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on May 29. More exciting, however, was the Allentown, Pa., native's home debut in front of family and friends on June 12. He allowed two runs and three hits while striking out four over 5 1/3 innings. 'Full circle moment — same field, new chapter,' Mosser wrote in an Instagram post. The righty pitched in the Padres organization from 2018 through 2024 before joining the Phillies on a minor-league deal during the offseason. • First baseman Keaton Anthony has excelled since his recent promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, slashing .333/.364/.429 (.793 OPS) in five games. Those around Anthony during his college days at Iowa said he had a knack for manipulating at-bats and finding the barrel. His average exit velocity of 92.1 mph sits above the Triple-A average, 88.6. (Photo of Alex McFarlane: Tom Priddy / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)
Boston Globe
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
What does the Red Sox farm system now look like beyond the Big Three? A look at the system at outset of 2025 season.
Mayer's spectacular spring performance underscored that the infielder is a special talent who is knocking on the door, and his ability to play up the middle creates an extremely high ceiling. That said, a survey of evaluators consistently tabbed Anthony as being slightly ahead in prospect standing given the widespread conviction in the outfielder's bat, with one evaluator deeming his combination of swing decisions and power potential as a 20-year-old to be 'otherworldly.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : Advertisement The presence of both players in Triple A gives the Sox extraordinary, high-end positional depth. Who will be the top prospect by season's end? Campbell, Anthony, and Mayer are all likely to lose 'prospect eligibility' by the end of this year. So who will take that title? The most obvious — and popular — answer is Franklin Arias, a 19-year-old shortstop who is opening the year with Single A Salem. Several evaluators see Arias as a true shortstop who combines excellent plate discipline and contact skills with emerging power and excellent aptitude that has him on a fast track with a chance to reach Double A this season. Advertisement 'He's a plus defender waking up in the morning,' said Sox (Some evaluators are more cautious in their views of Arias's range at shortstop, even as his footwork and hands are seen as excellent assets.) Some cited one of two righthanded pitchers will emerge as the best Sox prospect by the end of the year: Luis Perales or Juan Valera. Perales, a 6-foot-1-inch righthander who turns 22 next week, is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and likely won't pitch in games until late in the season. But the electric arsenal he demonstrated before his UCL tear in Double A Portland last year gives him the upside of anywhere from a mid-rotation starter to someone with the 'potential to be the best arm in the minors,' according to one evaluator. He could be regularly touching triple digits at the end of the year. Valera, 18, overpowered hitters last year (.125 batting average against, lowest in the minors) and was working comfortably at 98-100 miles per hour this spring to go along with a slider/sweeper and changeup. He also has a massive starter's frame (6-3, 205 pounds), giving him a lot of foundational pieces of a potential mid-rotation starter with the floor of a late-innings reliever. He's the first Sox pitcher to reach High A before turning 19 since 2018. Related : Backfield buzz: Pitching throughout the system took the spotlight in minor league camp. What would qualify as success for the team's pitching program in 2025? Advertisement 'If we see a lot of these minor league guys that we've had in the system for a couple years now really take steps forward and help impact the big league team,' said Already, impressive showings by righthanders Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins, and lefthander Shane Drohan (up to 97 m.p.h. this spring) helped to position the Sox to trade Quinn Priester — particularly given a promising Double A rotation that features righthanders David Sandlin (whose electric stuff could make him a top-100 prospect and big league option by the end of the year), Yordanny Monegro, and Blake Wehunt, and lefthander Connelly Early (who struck out seven in 3⅔ no-hit innings to open his season). 7 strikeouts in a scoreless first outing of 2025 for Connelly Early! — Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) Lefthander Payton Tolle, the team's second-round pick in 2024, is opening the year in High A, a reflection of mechanics and pitch shapes that seemed likely to overwhelm hitters in Single A. Righty Jedixson Paez, 21, is a fascinating prospect in High A with elite command, feel for pitching, and great pitch shapes but whose arsenal lacks power. The Sox had him on a velocity program this spring and are using him in shorter (two- and three-inning) stints to encourage him to air out his stuff. If he proves capable of maintaining or improving upon the 92-93 m.p.h. he showed, he could quickly move up to Double A. Lefty Brandon Clarke, meanwhile, will open the year in Single A Salem. He has an electric arsenal, especially a high-90s to triple-digits fastball and potential wipeout sweeper, that he needs to hone in the strike zone. If he can do so, the upside is considerable. Righty Advertisement 4 strikeouts in 5 scoreless frames of work for Blake Aita in the opener! — Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) One additional spring performer and a prospect blast from the past: righthander Noah Song, rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, is throwing 95-97 m.p.h. in bullpen sessions. On the position side, a few players stood out for their promise entering 2025. Outfielder Nelly Taylor, an 11th-round pick in 2024, received raves for his offseason work that added significant bat speed and power potential to a player who already exhibits tremendous athleticism and outfield defense. His first homer of the year on Sunday was a 108 m.p.h. rocket. Nelly Taylor's first homer of the season was a rocket! 🚀 — Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) While catcher Johanfran Garcia opened the year on the 60-day injured list while recovering from a ruptured ACL that ended his 2024 campaign, he is pounding the ball while ramping up toward a rehab assignment that could start as soon as May, in advance of rejoining Single A Salem by June. And finally, there is 18-year-old Justin Gonzales, a Stantonian giant at 6-5 and 260 pounds. Advertisement 'He is absolutely the guy to watch,' said one evaluator. Related : Gonzales shows startling contact skills for a player his size, having struck out just 10 percent of the time in the Dominican Summer League last year, and makes loud contact. This spring, he showed both an excellent approach and an improved ability to hit the ball in the air, impressing enough that there was conversation about assigning him to full-season Salem to open the year (an extreme rarity for a position player While Gonzales mostly played first base last year in the DSL, he's currently spending most of his time in the outfield. Alex Speier can be reached at
New York Times
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Juan Soto spent 3 weeks with his minor-league host family. Memories endure 7 years later
The first thing Juan Soto wanted to do was find a GameStop where he could address a faulty PlayStation console. He was just 19, newly arrived in Hagerstown, Md., to begin the 2018 season at Low A. The head of his host family, Brian Campbell, chuckles at the recollection. Soto, baseball's $765 million man, laughs out loud. Advertisement Seven years later, the memories endure. Soto stayed with the Campbells for only about three weeks in April 2018 before advancing to High A, Double A and the majors in less than a month. Yet, even after signing the richest contract in sports history, he remains in touch with Campbell, who says the outfielder is the same person at 26 he was at 19. 'People always ask, 'Is he arrogant?'' Campbell said. 'Nope. He's just Soto.' Campbell, 47, has taken his daughter, three sons and other family members to visit Soto at major-league parks and gone out to dinner with him on occasion. The persisting bond between the two was evident when Campbell consented to be interviewed for this story. Campbell texted Soto for his permission. In less than half an hour, Soto responded with his blessing. 'I know it was a short time, but we had so much fun every single day in that house,' Soto said last weekend while the New York Mets were in Houston. 'It's a big family, a really lovely family that welcomed us like we were their kids.' Soto, during his time with the Hagerstown Suns, was not much older than Campbell's sons, two of whom were 15 and another who was 12. Campbell and his ex-wife also hosted three other players that season, none of whom reached the majors, and about 15 total from 2017 to '19. The majority of the players were Latin American. Other team members would come by after games to hang out at the Campbell home. Tom Burtman, the Suns' director of promotions, recalled hearing the home was a 'happening place.' Soto, smiling broadly, concurred with that assessment. 'Every time we came back from a game, we had our table for playing cards, video games, karaoke,' Soto said. 'I was really surprised by everything they had. And every night, it didn't matter whether we were tired or not, we would always go back down to the basement and try to have fun. And they loved it. They always had fun with us. We played cards. Advertisement 'We talked. We sang. Every day we found something different to do. That's what made it special.' Times have changed. The Washington Nationals' affiliate in Hagerstown no longer exists, eliminated in 2020 as part of MLB's minor-league restructuring. Host family programs, once a staple of minor-league baseball, no longer exist, either. Two years ago, in the first minor-league CBA, Major League Baseball agreed to double salaries and provide guaranteed housing for most minor leaguers. The host family programs, in the view of the Major League Baseball Players Association, became unnecessary. While conditions for minor leaguers clearly have improved, Burtman believes players benefited from the host family experience. He, too, was a host, and planned to house Soto and another player from the Dominican Republic in 2018. Instead, he passed them off to Campbell, putting them with a 27-year-old Dominican catcher, Adderling Ruiz, who could serve as their mentor. 'That's what was important about the host family situation,' said Burtman, who is now director of promotions and entertainment for the team that replaced the Suns in Hagerstown, the Flying Boxcars of the independent Atlantic League. 'It gave that family feeling to some of these younger players.' For Campbell, the question came out of nowhere. Until recently, he owned two Jimmy John's franchises in Hagerstown. And in April 2017, he was working on a sponsorship deal with the Suns when Burtman approached him at the club's 'Meet the Team Night.' 'You want to be a host family? We're short on houses,' Campbell recalled Burtman saying. 'What is a host family?' Campbell replied. 'I have no idea.' In 2017, Soto's initial stint with Hagerstown, the team struggled to find host families and rented a house for a number of Dominican players. Soto broke his ankle sliding into home plate a month into the season and left Hagerstown to rehabilitate at the Nationals' training facility in Viera, Fla. The following year, the team determined it could not afford to rent another house, and increased its efforts to identify new host families. Advertisement Campbell lived 11 miles south of Hagerstown, in Boonsboro. His home included four bedrooms and a great room with enough space for two or three more beds. The basement, as Soto said, was a natural gathering spot for players and family members after games. Soto, who received a $1.5 million bonus when he signed with the Nationals in 2015, owned a minivan that he used to transport teammates and their equipment. Ruiz, nicknamed 'Pato,' did much of the cooking, preparing mountains of rice and beans and chicken for his teammates and the Campbell family. 'I put on a lot of weight that year,' Campbell said. Soto's dedication to his craft already was evident. While playing cards, he would take out a resistance band and continue working. And while Campbell and his family initially were not aware the kid was a top prospect, they quickly figured it out. 'He was just crushing balls left and right in Hagerstown,' Campbell said. 'You could tell. You just knew by watching him. And the other players would tell me. 'Come to batting practice, watch this guy.'' By May 20, Soto was in the majors. Campbell and a number of Hagerstown players, including the Nationals' current second baseman, Luis García Jr., attended one of his first games in Washington. Campbell became a Nationals season ticket holder. And Soto, almost immediately, became a sensation. Early during Soto's time with the Nationals, Campbell picked him up after a day game in Washington to attend a barbecue at his home, about 70 miles away. They stopped in Frederick, Md., where the Nats' High-A affiliate was playing. And as they left the field after Soto's visit, fans sprinted toward him in the parking lot, seeking his autograph. Soto took time to sign, but eventually told Campbell to get the car started. Otherwise, they would never leave. Advertisement 'It was pretty cool to see his growth in not only baseball, but in being a superstar,' Campbell said. As Soto's fame grew, Campbell found quieter spots for them to meet. His brother-in-law is an executive with the Atlas Restaurant Group, a company that owns restaurants in Baltimore with private rooms and cigar bars. But frequently, Campbell and his family would just see Soto at different ballparks. In 2022, shortly before he was traded to the San Diego Padres, Soto caught Campbell's attention during a game at Nationals Park. One of Soto's former Hagerstown teammates, Telmito Agustin, was in the stands. Soto tried mouthing the news to Campbell, to no avail. Soto wrote on a baseball, 'Telmito is here,' and flipped it to Campbell. 'It was like a baseball text message,' Campbell said. Little changed after Soto left the Nationals. Campbell visited Petco Park with family members when Soto was with the Padres. He also attended the New York Yankees' home opener last season. Campbell said once or twice a year Soto will leave him and his guests batting practice passes. He refrains from asking for tickets, preferring to purchase his own rather than impose. 'A lot of times they come and don't even tell me,' Soto said. 'I turn around and I see them. I'm like, 'Oh!' They really respect my space.' The minor-league CBA in 2023 increased the minimum annual salary for players in Low A from $11,000 to $26,200. When Soto played at that level five years earlier, the minimum was in the $6,000 to $8,000 range. So, when Campbell learned Soto signed for $765 million, he had a two-word reaction. 'Hell yeah,' he said. 'Because I was involved with minor-league players so much, I hope every player takes as many dollars as he can from any owner. Like, take it. Before they increased the minimum wage for players, it was nothing. If you didn't sign with a signing bonus, you didn't have any money.' Advertisement Campbell, though, was not entirely happy. He grew up in Mystic, Conn., a town he said was divided between Yankees and Boston Red Sox fans. The Yankees were his team and remained his team even as his father, who was in the military, moved the family up and down the East Coast. Once Campbell started hosting players, he needed to cool it a bit — he wore a Yankees cap to a game in which the Suns faced a Yankees affiliate, only to hear from the players in his home, 'Uh-uh, you can't.' But by the time Soto landed with the Yankees for the 2024 season, Campbell was free to return to his old allegiances. The host family program was no more. 'Last year was like the super peak, can't get any better,' Campbell said. 'And then he signed with the Mets. So this is going to be rough.' While Soto was a free agent, Campbell asked him to stay away from three teams, telling him, 'no Mets, no Red Sox, no Phillies.' Alas, Soto made up his own mind. And when Campbell reached out to him after his decision, it was with mixed feelings. 'He congratulated me,' Soto said. '(But) he was really sad about the contract.' Specifically, the team. 'He's another fan. He loves the Yankees. He was really happy when I was there,' Soto said. 'But he was excited for what I accomplished.' How could Campbell not be? Soto has come a long way since he was singing and playing cards in the Campbells' basement. Then again, for the kid who arrived in Hagerstown looking for a GameStop, some things never change. During spring training, Soto arranged with the makers of 'Call of Duty' to bring video game consoles to the Mets' clubhouse so the players could try the newest version of the game prior to its release. 'He's fun to hang out with. He's charismatic. You're drawn to him,' Campbell said. 'He's just a good guy.' (Top photo of Juan Soto with Brian Campbell and his three sons at Nationals Park: Courtesy of Brian Campbell)
New York Times
02-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Red Sox, Kristian Campbell agree to 8-year, $60 million contract: Source
One day after the Boston Red Sox announced a contract extension for starter Garrett Crochet, the team locked up another member of its young core. On Wednesday, the Red Sox finalized an eight-year, $60 million deal for infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell, according to a team source. The deal runs through 2032 with options for 2033 and 2034. Campbell's deal includes a $2 million signing bonus with club options of $19 million in 2033 — with a $4 million buyout — and $21 million in 2034. The remainder of the contract breakdowns as follows: The 22-year-old who debuted last on Opening Day has hit .375 (6-for-16) with two doubles and a homer through his first five games with four starts at second base and one in left field. At 22 years, 272 days old on Opening Day, he was the youngest Red Sox player to debut on Opening Day since Joe Lahoud in 1968 (20 years, 363 days). Advertisement Campbell, a 2023 fourth-rounder, rocketed through the Red Sox system last season, hitting .330 with a .997 OPS in 115 games at High A, Double A and Triple A and was named Baseball America's Minor Leaguer of the Year as well as The Athletic's Prospect of the Year. Campbell's 2031 and 2032 base salaries and the 2033 club option and 2034 club option base salaries can increase based on the following criteria: $2 million for MVP winner; $1 million for second or third place MVP; $500,000 for fourth or five place MVP, $250, 000 for sixth through 10th; $200,000 for All-Star election/selection. While Campbell's deal comes with just five days of big league service time, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has a history of signing players early in their careers. The Red Sox signed infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela to an eight-year, $50 million at the start of 2024 after just 28 games played. Starter Brayan Bello signed a six-year, $50 million deal at the start of 2024 after just two seasons in the majors. With top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer yet to debut, the Red Sox have said they're pursuing contract extensions for both players as well.
