Kristian Campbell's MLB career could not have gotten off to much of a better start. Not only did he sign an extension after playing in just a handful of games, but Campbell has been one of the best hitters in a really stout Boston Red Sox lineup.
Campbell was slashing .301/.402/.493 with three home runs and six RBI in 21 games entering Monday's action, and the 22-year-old has gone 2-for-3 and has driven in a pair of runs in his Patriots' Day debut.
Given his hot start and his top prospect status, it'd be safe to dub Campbell as the clear AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner. But while Campbell is the favorite according to BetMGM, the odds show that he's far from a lock, thanks in large part to Jacob Wilson of the Athletics.
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Jacob Wilson is doing his best to ensure Kristian Campbell isn't the runaway AL Rookie of the Year winner
Campbell has been unbelievable, but the same can also be said about Wilson, once a top prospect in his own right. The Athletics shortstop is slashing .354/.354/.500 with two home runs and 10 RBI. He's tacked on six doubles and a stolen base as well in his 82 plate appearances. An argument can be made that he's been better than Campbell offensively.
Wilson does not draw walks, but that's part of why he's so fun to watch. The 23-year-old is going to swing early and often, and chances are, he's going to make contact. Wilson ranks in the 98th percentile in whiff rate and the 99th percentile in strikeout rate, according to Baseball Savant. He has also swung at a whopping 58.2 percent of the pitches he's seen, well above the MLB average of 47.2 percent.
It'll be interesting to see if this can maintain over a full season. Chances are, pitchers are going to adjust to Wilson's free-swinging tendencies by throwing him more pitches off the plate. If that happens, it'd be up to Wilson to adjust to those changes and learn to lay off more pitches. Drawing walks isn't a bad thing!
Campbell is a better all-around threat at the plate, but Wilson's absurd bat-to-ball ability means he's going to have an incredibly high floor. He's likely going to compete for the AL batting title with the likes of Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. If he's able to win that, or come close to it, it'll be tough for Campbell to rip the Rookie of the Year award away.
While Wilson is serious competition, if Campbell continues to do what he's doing, he's going to give himself an excellent shot at running away with the award. Campbell is the favorite to win it right now, but in reality, it's anyone's race. Campbell is going to have to continue playing incredibly well to end up with the award.