Chris Campos is a Right Handed pitcher in the Dodgers organization that grew up in the LA Area and has been a diehard Dodgers fan for as long as he can remember. His childhood was filled with trips to Dodgers Stadium and memories of Dodger greats, and now he has been given the chance to become one of his own.

How He Got Here

Campos grew up in the LA area, and eventually became a 2-way star in High School, but it’s not quite as direct as it may seem. He started at Mater Dei High School, and was there for his Freshman and Sophomore years, but eventually transferred to Damien for his Junior and Senior years.

He loved his experiences at both places and has carried lasting relationships with him from that time in his life. 

You know, Mater Dei has top-notch facilities, and it’s everything you’ve probably ever heard of it because they have everything you could ever need there. Their facilities were like playing at a Big League stadium.

Campos went on to talk about his experience further

My experience at Mater Dei was really good I was on the Freshman team my Freshman year, and then on the JV team as a Sophomore. I had great coaches that taught me a lot, and Josh Lee was my JV coach, and we still talk to this day. 

Campos then explained why he transferred to Damien

I was going into my Junior year and I was planning on coming back to Mater Dei and I was hoping to be on the Varsity team and fight for a starting spot. But, when I went into the Summer meetings I was talking to the Head Coach and he was giving me a rundown of what he thought of my abilities and he was telling me that D1 colleges wouldn’t be looking for players like me because I was too small and wasn’t going to be in the starting lineup for Varsity. That Hurt, so while I wanted to stay with my good friends, for me and my baseball career I made the decision to go to Damien where I went to play for Andy Nieto, who is a great baseball coach. He didn’t promise me anything other than an opportunity and that was all I needed. 

 

Campos hit .347 for his prep career, and on the mound, he recorded a 0.25 ERA and helped his Damien Spartans win the Baseline League Championship. He was first team MVP, and was named to the First Team All Baseline League, was an SGV All-Star Selection, and then SGV All-Star MVP. He was also named to the SUN/Bulletin-All Area Team and San Gabriel Valley All-Area Team.

After High School, Campos wanted to find a place where he could both play the field and pitch, at least some, and a place where he would feel wanted.

Saint Mary’s became that place as they offered everything he was looking for. 

Campos was impressed with the great program that Coach Greg Moore had built at Saint Mary’s but the selling point was how wanted the coaches made him feel.  

Jordon Toowig was the guy that was really heavy on recruiting me there, and he’s really good at what he does. He really feels like family. I really felt wanted which was a big reason why I ended up there. During the recruiting process, Coach Moore told Coach Toowig that he wanted our family because they had both got to know my parents and some of the stuff we had been through, so that’s why I chose to be a Gael. 

Campos spent 3 years at Saint Mary’s and got to play with current Dodger, RHP Michael Hobbs while he was there, and thinks of Hobbs as sort of an older brother. Hobbs is the all-time saves leader at Saint Mary’s so those 2 won a lot of games during their time there and are very happy about their choice to be a Gael. 

Campos was a 2-way player and was the starting shortstop, then pitched some while he was in College. He hit .347 for his career and had an OPS of almost .800 so his offensive tool is very good. But, after the 2022 season, he got drafted in the 7th Round by the Dodgers, and, although he still takes some ground balls and B.P., he was a pitcher in the organization during his short season. 

Becoming a Dodger

Becoming a Dodger was a great experience because he grew up loving the Dodgers, and he actually played at Quakes Stadium while he was in High School at Damien.

So, when he got called up to Rancho, it was exciting on a bunch of different levels. 

I got to play at Quakes Stadium when I was in High School, so when I got the call to pack up my stuff and head to Rancho I called my family and let them know, then they let all my Aunts and cousins and everyone else know. So I had a really good crowd when I pitched there because it’s only like a 40-minute drive from where I grew up. 

Campos went on to talk about what draft day was like for him. 

Draft day was amazing, and I had just flown in from where I was playing Summer Ball, so I was at home for the draft and I had all my family with me. Around the 5th and 6th Rounds, I started getting a bunch of calls so I figured I’d be going soon. My agent called and told me the Dodgers wanted me and had offered. I had actually said no to the first 2 offers and he said that the Dodgers were going to take me anyways. so they ended up taking me and we all started cheering. We were all super happy and it was a great experience and a memory I will never forget. 

Arsenal

Campos has just started pitching full-time but is very advanced for that type of experience. He features a fastball, changeup, curveball, and slider and sits 94 mph, and can hit as high as 97. He has a live arm and he and Jared Karros worked really hard together in the off-season to develop their secondary pitches. 

Finishing Up

Campos is just 22 years old and is just getting started as a pitcher on a full-time basis, so I really expect him to make leaps and bounds in the next couple of years. He finished his short season in Rancho hitting 97 on the gun at the top end.

Having been a High-Level D1 shortstop, he is very athletic and very competitive, and, having been a part of the offensive side of the game, he knows the grind and how to handle it. 

One of his goals is to get his body in shape to play an entire professional season which is grueling and a chore in and of itself, but one he’s excited to take on. 

In closing, I would like to thank Chris for joining Dodgers Daily. I got to see him play while he was at Saint Mary’s so I was very excited when he became a Dodger and even more excited for the chance to talk with him. He is an awesome young man and it was a privilege to get to speak with him and tell at least a small part of his story. 

Dodgers Daily is very thankful for this opportunity and will be rooting for Chris all along his journey. 

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