Potential Translates To Results For Tigers’ Roberto Campos
High-A West Michigan outfielder Roberto Campos maintains the same approach he has had since he signed out of Cuba as a 16-year-old in 2019.
Be a little bit better than the year before.
Campos signed for $2.85 million, which was then the franchise record for an international amateur, but as was the case for all 2019 international free agents, he did not debut until 2021 because of the pandemic.
His first stop was the Florida Complex League.
“I could see the maturity right away,” an American League scout said. “I’ve gotten the chance to see him every year since, and he’s only gotten more established.
“I don’t think anyone likes to wait for a player to develop, but when you have a guy who fled his home at 13, he’s going need a minute to adjust.”
Progress has been slow for Campos, who has spent three full seasons at Class A, but his return to the Midwest League may have been just what he needed.
“He grew a lot last year,” another AL scout said. “He went through some stuff. You can’t tap into those tools until you’ve cleared the other stuff out of the way, and I don’t think we got to see Campos until he could get past that.”
Campos hit .272/.342/.425 with 10 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 118 games this season. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound righthanded hitter split his time between right field and center.
“He was fun this year,” the scout said. “Like, he figured out some new things about what he can do and with a profile like his, that could be scary.
“He’s infectious, man. He’s always smiling, but he knows the expectation. He’s been through pressure before, so I’m not worried about him. He just needs time.”
