I like Kristian Campbell and want him to succeed. But I am totally convinced that, if he does, it won’t be at second base.
Is it harsh to say that he was arguably the worst defensive middle infielder I’d ever seen last season? Maybe I’m still haunted by the routine double play that he flubbed against the Yankees, when he broke the wrong way on a ground ball that was hit just a few feet to his left. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever seen a big league middle infielder go the wrong way on a slow grounder like this:
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The Red Sox brass seemed to agree with my assessment. He barely stepped foot on the infield grass after his demotion to Worcester and played exclusively in the outfield during winter ball, amongst a lot of chatter that he would focus on left field going forward.
But here we are approaching Truck Day, and there are reports that Campbell has been in Fort Myers for weeks, “doing defensive work at second base and in the outfield.”
There’s no question that Kristian Campbell learning to be merely an average big league infielder would be a tremendous boon to the Sox. It would instantly fix some major roster issues and, along with Marcelo Mayer, secure the team’s double play partnership for years to come (if, you know, Kristian Campbell can turn double plays).
But can he actually succeed there?
Talk about that, along with whatever else you want, in this open thread and be good to one another.
