Red Sox Rookie Shows Off Scary Bat Speed, Exit Velocity: 'How Rare Is This?'

His bat speed and exit velocity numbers are looking ridiculous already...

Aug 23, 2011; Arlington, TX, USA; Hats and gloves from the Boston Red Sox team near the edge of the dugout before the game against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

If you want to understand why the Boston Red Sox are so high on 22-year-old rookie Kristian Campbell, take a look at Campbell’s bat speed and exit velocity, which are frightening.

Campbell exploded onto the Major League Baseball scene during Boston’s debut series of the season in Arlington versus the Texas Rangers, smashing a laser beam home run to center field on Saturday night in just his eighth big league plate appearance.

In real time, Campbell’s homer looked impressive enough, but MLB.com’s Mike Petriello peered into the numbers behind the blast and made some insane discoveries that will make the hair stand up on the back of Red Sox fans’ necks.

“Campbell's home run off the Rangers' Jacob Webb on Saturday was hit at 112.2 mph, which is a top 3% exit velocity so far this season, and one of the 20 hardest-hit balls we’ve seen across the sport yet,” Petriello wrote.

“How rare is this one? In 2024, less than one-half of one percent of batted balls got to 112 mph. Campbell did it on his third day in the Majors.”

“Campbell’s bat speed of 74.6 mph is in the 86th percentile in the Majors -- he swings faster than nearly 90% of batters, in other words -- and three times he topped 80 mph. A “fast swing,” for context, is merely 75 mph.”

“It’s not, of course, that you get extra credit for a home run that’s hit harder than anyone else’s; Aaron Judge’s home runs don’t count for more than Cody Bellinger’s just because they’re hit harder. It’s that these metrics, particularly for a young player, can tell you a lot about what kind of hitter they might be.”

Petriello also cited a quote about Campbell from Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham.

“He probably hits the ball harder than anyone in Minor League Baseball and hits the ball harder than a lot of our big leaguers,” Abraham said last June (per Petriello).

The eye test is telling everyone that Campbell is a future star, and no one seems to know exactly how high his ceiling is. The above numbers are somewhat unprecedented.

Campbell and Boston return to the diamond on Wednesday in Baltimore as the Red Sox try to turn around what has been an undesirable 1-4 start to the campaign.

Campbell can’t be blamed for the team’s sluggish start. He’s 6-for-16 at the plate so far this season with a slash line of .375/.500/.688. Not bad for a rookie.

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