How Red Sox rookie ’embraced everything’ in a roller coaster season

WORCESTER The statistical results of Kristian Campbell s first career games with the Red Sox look less than ideal a batting average OPS and strikeout rate Within that a average and OPS between March and April which earned him American League Rookie of the Month followed by May games in which he managed to hit only with a OPS and June games in which he batted with a OPS before the Red Sox optioned him to Triple-A Worcester But much like the scene in The Office in which Michael Scott played to perfection by Steve Carell tells an interviewer that his greatest weaknesses as a manager are caring too much working too hard and being too invested in his job plenty of of the character traits that drove Campbell s first foray into the big leagues are certainly strengths They totally required more honing and harnessing The kid himself has just embraced everything that has been thrown at him Red Sox director of player improvement Brian Abraham communicated the Herald this week Maybe sometimes to a fault Campbell in his eagerness to be a crew sportsman and contribute in his rookie season tried to take on too much all at once Of their Big Three top prospects he was the only one who cracked the Opening Day roster a pressure-laden opportunity Barely a week later he inked an eight-year million extension He played second base center and left field and even DH ed for a challenge In the lineup he batted in every spot from third down to ninth and admitted that it was hard to find his rhythm as a product The Red Sox were also navigating a tenuous situation with Rafael Devers throughout spring training and the first three months of the regular season In the wake of Triston Casas season-ending injury at the start of May an already-tense clubhouse took on additional water when Devers balked at learning first base in-season and Campbell directly offered to take on the challenge Campbell has magnanimously refuted reports that Devers felt slighted by his volunteering He s like Give me everything and we sometimes have to say Hey let s focus on one thing at a time and be really good at one thing at a time versus trying to do everything OK Abraham explained I think being a good teammate can be a detriment as well You want to help everyone else but at the same time you need to focus on yourself Abraham described optioning Campbell as an emotional mental physical reset We ve seen improvements and I think with that we ve seen confidence that maybe he had lost at one point Abraham disclosed He was Baseball America s Minor League Contestant of the Year last year April Rookie of the Month and I think he saw a lot of success So having the struggles come really quick and then being sent down I think was a lot to deal with Campbell calls it a demotion though not with any bitterness or resentment Nor does he care what others call a decision that gave him a chance to breathe He knows he s benefitting now and the Red Sox will benefit in the future I feel like there s a lot of ups this year I feel like there s a lot of progressing growing too Campbell informed the Herald I feel like there s been a lot of ups though learning myself learning the battle I was only here for games last year so coming back and getting my feet under me was a good thing I feel like I ve learned a lot while I ve been here I feel like I ve overall become a better athlete in the process The rookie is finding himself at the plate again by keeping it simple and is batting with a OPS through WooSox games He s playing more first base and outfield than second where he spent the vast majority of his defensive innings in the big leagues I feel confident over there Campbell noted of first base It s unfailingly been a part of my contest that defensive versatility being able to play wherever the organization wants me to play Doesn t really matter where I just need the reps and I ll be fine After spending the last three months in Triple-A Campbell feels better equipped to channel his essence into positive results at the big-league level Abraham agrees Trying to perform trying to have success along with being consistent is a really hard thing to do when you re trying to compete every day and you look at the scoreboard and your batting average your on-base percentage just continues to plummet Abraham revealed I think he s better able to focus on himself make those improvements for himself and then still be a really good teammate Have the numbers been perfect No but we ve seen gradual progress We ve seen him hit the ball like he had done in the past Kristian s going to be with us for a long time we expect him to impact the Red Sox for a long time Abraham continued And we just spoke a little while ago You never know what could happen in Boston There s a chance he could be up there helping in a playoff run It s kind of all-hands-on-deck and if he s the guy that Alex Cora and Craig Breslow feel like can help I know he ll be ready Whether his time in Worcester leads to a call-up before the regular season ends on Sept Campbell will look back on these months with gratitude Not just because of what he s gaining from the experience but because of those same character traits that will be strengths for him and those around him in the years to come Mentally I ve been really good I feel like I m pretty proud of myself of what I ve done in a short amount of time since I got with the Red Sox out of college I ve got nothing really to pull my head down about to be honest Campbell announced It s a process that a lot of people go through I m not the only one that ever got demoted especially young get demoted and have to get back up So it s cool It s cool to go through this path sometimes Hopefully I can walk somebody else through it one day You never know somebody else coming through might get demoted and I ll talk to them about it one day what I went through and they ll be able to relate and I ll be able to relate to them