Boston Red Sox Minors: 2019 will be the year of Marino Campana
The Boston Red Sox have plenty of prospects that the following season could be good to. Just exactly who will make it their year in 2019 though?
Oh the power potential. Marino Campana spent all of 2018 with the Boston Red Sox as a 20-year-old in Full-A.
Despite that, he managed career-highs in doubles (19) and triples (7) while obliterating his old home run high of four, with 16.
Clearly, there’s power in his bat. That’s not all Campana brings to the party though. In 2018, the outfielder managed a .246 average while leading the team in RBI (69) and placing second in runs scored (54). The right-handed hitter had a little trouble with strikeouts (120), but you can excuse a 20-year-old for that.
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Campana’s defense isn’t going to win any awards. He looked more comfortable in the outfield as the year went on playing the corner spots with a more time in right than anything. The arm isn’t a cannon either, but he’s got potential for that to improve as he matures physically. In the end, it will never be a strong point of his game but Campana could be a serviceable outfielder.
Speed-wise, he’s not going to scare many people either. This is a slightly underrated part of his game though. You don’t leg out seven triples by accident. There’s enough speed to combine with his power that this is a nice little weapon. He could sneak a few steals in as well.
2019 will be a big year for Campana because of what he did in 2018. Last season was proof that Campana’s going to be dangerous as he matures into his body. Gaining strength and experience will do wonders for someone with his raw power. With another offseason to grow, it will be fun to watch what he does at the plate.
The Red Sox are in a good position where they won’t need to rush the outfielder. Campana can star the year in Full-A again with the plan to promote him to Advanced-A during the year. Or they could start him in Advanced-A and plan on letting him grow there the whole year. If things go especially well, we could see him in Double-A – but again, there’s no need to rush him.
Next. Red Sox top-30 prospect rankings after the 2018 season. dark
Marino Campana should be on the Boston Red Sox radar as a prospect to keep an eye on. Especially with all signs pointing towards 2019 being his year.