Dylan Campbell is a position player prospect in the Dodgers organization that has versatility and balance to his game that allows him to do just about everything. He’s known for making diving catches, both in the infield and outfield, bunting for base hits, and then also hitting home runs.
And, he’s known for doing all those things in the same game.
I know because I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and when you see it, it makes an impact.
Complete Athlete
Campbell grew up in Houston, known as the “Bo Jackson” of high school football, and loved the “Friday Night Lights” He also feels like his experience on the gridiron helped him on the baseball field as well.
Playing football at Strake Jesuit was a great experience for me, and I loved football, but not as much as baseball. People always asked me which one I was going to choose and I kind of didn’t know until about my Junior Year of High School, but being on the football field is special. There’s no other feeling like taking the field on Friday after anticipating it all week.
Football made me a better athlete, and there’s a different mentality between football and baseball, and that Bulldog mentality was crucial for me on the baseball field, so it gave me another competitive advantage.
Campbell ran for over 2000 yards and 31 TDs, just in his Senior year, and if you know anything about the talent level in the Houston area, you know that’s incredibly impressive.
Stickin’ With Baseball
Campbell had a crazy good football career, and certainly could have chosen football, and who knows where that would have taken him. But, baseball is something that got in his blood early on in his life, and it eventually won out.
I always thought that I was much better at baseball, and some people might say differently, but I feel like it’s one thing I caught on to at a younger age. When I got to High School baseball was way more serious because I played in the Summers, which meant I didn’t do much Spring Football or 7 on 7s, because all of my Summers were usually spent playing
So, that’s kind of how it worked out and I’m glad it did because football is tough and there’s a lot more contact and injuries and everything like that. So I just feel like it was a good choice to stick with baseball because that’s what I thought I was better at.
Hook ’em
Of course, making that decision is a lot easier when you end up with the opportunity to play for the school you watch on TV, in this case, the Texas Longhorns. Campbell grew up a shortstop and had plenty of options, but the lure of Burnt Orange drew him to Austin.
At Texas, he played some 2nd base and outfield and set the school record for single consecutive games with a hit at 38 games. He also stole 42 bases, had a batting average of .295, an OPS of over .900, and 24 home runs. He also had a walk-off home run at East Carolina in the Super Regionals to keep their season alive as they were facing elimination,
He’s versatile, he’s balanced, he’s talented and he’s clutch. He also carries with him a humble approach, but with an extreme amount of confidence, which all pretty much describes the type of player that thrives in the Dodgers system.
Or, any system for that matter.
Here are his thoughts on his time back at Texas.
I’ll always reminisce on my days at Texas because it’s such a special place and a special University. Not many people get to say they got to go there, so I’ll always be grateful for that.
Bunting for base hits, hitting home runs, and diving plays in the outfield is just kinda how we were brought up through that program. Being able to do multiple things, and not just being a one-trick pony, where you might only have power, but can’t do anything else, or just having speed with no power is the way we were built throughout the system. I feel like I’ve really benefited from that, especially transitioning into pro ball because those are great skill sets to have moving on to the next level.
Perfect Fit
Campbell was drafted in the compensatory Round 4 of the 2023 draft and was sent to Rancho after just 4 games at the Complex, where he finished that year, his first year of pro ball. The fast pace of which he was moved to affiliated ball was not surprising considering the high level of experience he had in college.
Campbell then spent all of last year, 2024, at High A Great Lakes where he was able to show his big basket of skills. He hit .251, , had 10 Home Runs, but then also swiped 42 bases.
Keep in mind, the Midwest League is played in cold environments, so offense is hard to come by, especially on the power side of things, so Campbell did a good job of showing his well rounded game.
Being well rounded on offense, then very versatile on defense is something he takes pride in and feels as if it will continue to help him as he moves forward in pro ball.
Yeah, I feel like being well rounded can take your game to heights that you might not even know. Just being a player that can do a lot of things is very beneficial because let’s say one day you’re not feeling great with your power then you lay down a bunt and get a hit. So, instead of being 0-4 that day with a couple of strikeouts, you turn it into 1-4 and little things like that really help.
Looking Forward
Campbell grew up a shortstop, has played a lot of 2nd base, then has also played a lot of outfield as well. So, he is very versatile, and that’s a trait we know the Dodgers value at a premium. To further that point, it’s not as if he can just play all of those different positions, he also does them all at a high level, because his basket of skills are so big.
Offensively he can beat a defense in every which way from bunting to hitting home runs to stealing bases, and sometimes all in the same game, or all in a row.
All in all, his complete game, combined with his humble approach and supreme confidence is a mix that will allow him to continue to get better as he moves up. I am super excited to watch him grow throughout the system, and I hope now, you are too.
Become a subscriber to our Dodgers Daily YouTube page and follow us on Twitter @dodger_daily, on Instagram @dodger.daily, on TikTok @dodgers_daily, or on our new discord server by following this link, https://discord.gg/zFM3yYCv.
Also, please consider donating to our Live Dodgers Dawgs shows to help Dodgers Daily keep growing. We go live every Sunday & Wednesday Evening at 5:00 Pacific, and we’d love to have you join the chat. This site will always be free to its viewers, but it does take time and money to run, so any sized donation would be greatly appreciated.
