Alberta Campos is kind of an odd duck -- he's a defensive specialist at shortstop who has accrued essentially zero experience at any other spot in on the field. Typically elite fielders without a bat to speak of will be developed as a kind of super-sub, with the ability to provide rock solid defence all over the infield; Campos clearly has the raw talent to play almost anywhere on the field, but given that Rule 5ers can't be sent down to AAA and the Sugar Kings are looking to win games in 2025, they don't have the luxury of finding him a place to develop anywhere but SS. Still, he brings some incredible tools to the table as a shortstop. A year ago the young man put up a ZR of +16.6 in AAA, and in only sixteen innings played (chiefly in relief of the team's go-to short, Boys Altena) has already racked up four put-outs, nine assists and contributed to a pair of double plays. While starter Altena is a fine choice at the position, there's no question that Campos is in another league defensively. He's also off to a hot start at the plate: in his five at bats, Campos has a home run and a single, scoring two runs and three RBIs for an OPS of 1.400. Of course it won't stay that way, but it's nice to seem him enjoying some brief success as he enters the majors for the first time in his career.
The need for a doughty infielder arose when the club dealt pending free agent Todd Kilger to California for futures. Himself originally a waiver wire acquisition, Kilger proved valuable through parts of two seasons with the Bison (and even put up respectable batting numbers, incredibly) before getting shipped out for five prospects to the future Landis champs. While Campos can't play all over the infield as Kilger did, he's actually a superior shortstop. He's also only twenty-three, and might actually be able to bat halfway reasonably as a platoon option against southpaws. He's also fire on the base paths, and a threat to steal every time he flukes his way on base.
Will he stick? It's hard to say for now, but he'll be given a shot on a team lacking defensive depth, and he just may end up being one of the most successful acquisitions of the this year's Rule 5 draft.