Cora talks Kristian Campbell's early struggles and Connor Wong's offseason changes

Why Kristian Campbell Could Make Immediate Red Sox Impact


     

Kristian Campbell's Early Struggles

    Kristian Campbell, MLB's Minor League player of the year, came into camp this year with lofty expectations and a starting spot on the MLB roster within reach. So far, he has not lived up to those massive expectations. In todays Spring Training contest against the Orioles, Campbell snapped an 0-13 start, notching his first spring hit in a 1-3 game. 
    Alex Cora, when discussing the young prospect, showed his confidence in Campbell's ability to turn things around. "I think the good thing is we have a pretty good idea of what he needs. We talked to him, [telling him] you need to swing less." 
    So far, Campbell has 8 strikeouts in his first 13 at-bats. Cora cited his swing decisions and his 2-strike approach as something for them to work on. Campbell's 19% K-rate across A, AA, and AAA was in line with league averages. His outside zone swing percentage was also well below league average, coming in at also 19%. Plate discipline has never been an issue for Campbell, so hopefully we can chalk up the early spring struggles to the added pressure of big-league camp. 

Connor Wong's 2025 Outlook

    Infamously acquired in the Mookie Bett's trade, Connor Wong has proved a serviceable catcher for the Red Sox. The Sox clearly have confidence in Wong, as they traded away the 3rd best catching prospect, Kyle Teel, in the Crochet trade. In 2024, Wong was solid at the plate, albeit with pretty horrible underlying numbers, but was one of the worst framers and blockers in the league. This season, Cora has a new plan for the backstop. 
    With Jason Varitek's role and responsibilities increasing, the Red Sox brought in a new catching instructor, former Division 1 catcher Parker Guinn. "The first thing we addressed were some of his setups back there. Trying to put him into better positions to receive the baseball, particularly at the bottom of the zone and then from there we started working on some of the receiving techniques and glove path stuff to help him at the bottom"
    Cora praised Guinn's efforts, and added Wong "looked more athletic, and moved with more conviction in his receiving." Cora would go on to call Wong a "freak athlete," and its not hard to say why. Wong checked out as the fastest catcher in the league, which the same sprint speed as players such as Fernando Tatis Jr and Michael Harris. He may have gotten lucky last year, but a .280 catcher with an OPS above .750 is always going to have value. If he can add even league average framing and blocking (he's been league average in regards to caught stealing and pop time) there's potential to take a little bit of the sting out of the Mookie Betts trade. 

    

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