Mike Trout reflects on being sent to the minors
Alex Cora started getting the questions about Kristian Campbell being sent down to Triple-A a few weeks ago. His response?
“I mean, we want him to get it here. That's the most important thing,” the Red Sox manager said regarding Campbell flipping the switch and recapturing his April excellence. “That's where we at. We don't rule anything out, right? But right now, he's going to play here, and he's going to get at-bats here, and we're going to keep pushing him to be better.”
Yes, the Red Sox tried. Some would argue they tried too hard and for too long.
Kristian Campbell also tried, attempting to soak in every bit of instruction and experience.
But now both parties have landed at a place that seemed like the sensible alternative for some time. As was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Campbell is being sent to Triple-A.
It is the right move. Campbell was simply not evolving like the Red Sox were banking on, being swallowed up by pitchers pounding him on the inside part of the plate, and simply not having enough professional baseball experience. For the rookie, it undoubtedly comes with disappointment. But what it should bring is optimism.
For so many who have lived to tell the tale, this is how it works.
A year ago, it was baseball’s top prospect, Jackson Holliday, who lived the life, being sent back to Triple-A after going 2-for-34. He would be recalled on the final day of July and is now in the conversation to make the American League All-Star team.
“It’s obviously difficult,” Holliday told WEEI.com. “You work your whole life to get here and maybe you don’t live up to the expectations you have for yourself or other people have. It’s obviously difficult because you want to succeed and help your team win. Last year I had a feeling it was all part of a bigger plan to compete up here and have success. It was part of learning. It made me a better player and make me understand how to fail and how to handle when things aren’t going great. I think it made me a better player. Obviously, it’s frustrating. Yeah, it’s definitely frustrating, but it’s the best league in the world for a reason.”
When Holliday was going through his struggles a year ago, the one name he kept hearing was Mike Trout's. Why? Because if one of the best players on the planet can be sent to the minor leagues after making his major league debut - as Trout did to begin the 2012 season - then it can happen to anybody.
“I think when I got sent back down and got called back I kind of knew what to expect and that’s what helped me to get to that moment,” Trout said on the ‘Baseball Isn’t Boring’ podcast. “When you first get called up to the league you’re always trying to show everybody what you’ve got and try and do too much. You have to trust what got you there. When I got sent back down, that period was when I could look at myself in the mirror and know what to expect and be prepared for that moment.”
As was particularly the case with Holliday, the evidence of the need for a minor-league reboot for Campbell was obvious. Defensively, he was being replaced in the late innings in most games, the Red Sox had the lead. And at the plate, the struggles weren’t going away. Since the beginning of May, the righty hitter hit .159 with a .465 OPS.
Now the goal is to regain the confidence Campbell displayed at the beginning of the season, when he was getting hits and signing ($60 million) contracts.
“Just trusting the process,” said Holliday when it came to the advice he might offer to Campbell. “Taking one good at-bat after another. The other day I had six balls over 100 mph and only had three hits. It’s just taking the positive out of each at-bat in each game has been helpful for me. Going up there with a lot of confidence no matter how I’m feeling. .. It’s definitely hard. Going up there knowing I have done all the work off the field and now I’m going to have as much confidence as I can. For me, what has helped me is being positioned where I feel free and confident. That has helped me a lot.”