:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73170444/1240338957.0.jpg)
Justin Campbell is our No. 20 prospect for 2024, earning 20% of the vote and dropping three places from his ranking in 2023.
He was selected No. 37 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft with a first round competitive balance pick by the Guardians.
There is still not a whole lot to go on for Campbell as he has yet to throw a professional inning, but his pre-draft hype had Guardians fans excited. He stands at a towering 6-foot-7 on the mound with the ability to hit the upper-90s on the radar gun (likely looking even faster to batters thanks to his extension) and an elite change up to go along with a decent slider.
As with most of Cleveland’s most prominent pitching prospects, he joins the system as a polished college arm, having pitched three years at Oklahoma State. A two-way player in college, he threw a no-hitter in 2021 and was the last player to get a hit off of Jack Leiter before he left for the MLB draft.
Campbell likely would have started the 2023 season at High-A Lake County with the potential to be a fast climber like Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams the year before, but then he had a funny feeling in his elbow...
Upon further evaluation, he went under the knife with ulnar nerve decompression surgery on his right elbow, which forced him to miss the entire 2023 season. While that was bad news, the good news is he’s already throwing from the mound and from the looks of it, he should be good to go for the upcoming 2024 season.
#Guardians recently turned 23yr old RHP prospect Justin Campbell throwing live BP out at the organizations Goodyear Development Complex. Campbell underwent ulnar nerve decompression surgery back on 5/23/23. The 2022 37th overall pick in the MLB draft should make his pro-debut in… pic.twitter.com/WdYDOO5GTE
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) February 22, 2024
As long as he hasn’t had any setbacks, he should hopefully pick right back up where he left off with the potential to climb quickly. He has the stuff, the size and the intangibles to become a top pitching prospect in the system. Health will be his limiting factor, so hopefully he can put the lost 2023 season behind him and go out there and pitch his butt off this upcoming season.
Campbell taking off will play a big part in whether or not Cleveland’s minor league system recovers from the loss of three of its best pitchers last season to graduation.
Loading comments...