When the Guardians drafted Justin Campbell 37th overall in the 2022 Draft, they saw an exciting pitching prospect they could mold.
An athletic 6-foot-5 right-hander out of Oklahoma State who was a finalist for the John Olerud Award given to the nation's best two-way player, Campbell had the look of a high-floor pitcher with untapped potential. And a prospect who could move quickly through the system.
As it turns out, Campbell's journey has been anything but smooth -- injuries delayed the start of his pro debut by four years. But in the parlance of the monomyth, the 25-year-old has weathered the departure and initiation stages and has returned better than ever, now ranking as the Guardians' second-best pitching prospect, No. 9 overall.
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After the proverbial "call to adventure" of a $1.7 million signing bonus, Campbell's pitching elbow kept him off the field in 2023, and he underwent season-ending surgery in June to relieve pressure on his ulnar nerve. Ten months later, he required Tommy John surgery on the same elbow, and he additionally underwent right wrist surgery in October 2024.
"To his credit, it could be easy to get down on yourself," Guardians assistant GM Eric Binder said. "He was able to build the foundational skills. He's really able to lean into that physical development in Arizona and learn what he needs to do to be prepared to compete, to recover and how to build consistency within his day-to-day work. ... We saw him come out the back end of that having made meaningful strides physically."
Rehabbing can be a challenging time, but the Guardians consider that period a time of opportunity. During the downtime, far longer than hoped, they worked with Campbell to attack specific goals.
The California native worked to add strength and fiddled with his pitch mix. With the Pokes, he supplemented a plus fastball-changeup combination with a mid-70s downer curve and a low-80s slider. He worked to add a cutter to his mix, giving him a fifth strike-throwing weapon and one that plays well off the slider.
Entering 2026, after sitting 91-92 mph on his fastball in college, Campbell was suddenly sitting 95 and touching 97, looking like a different pitcher altogether.
"You could see the skill set coming through, even though he wasn't pitching in games, so you'd see the upside in his throwing programs, the way the body worked and the way the ball was coming out of hand," Binder said. "Seeing him back on the field was incredibly cool. One, what it meant for him just to be back in competition, knowing the injuries that he had to work through. Two, the work and strides he put in to be able to get back in the competition. And then three, the excitement about the competitor that he is and the stuff he was showing out of hand in the backfields in Spring Training had everyone incredibly excited going into the season."
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Staying healthy and competing was a top goal for Campbell, but it was clear from the jump that he was too advanced for High-A competition. Command is often one of the last things to come back after layoffs from injury, but he had confidence in his more powerful heater and pounded the zone as he did in college.
Through five starts in his first month with Lake County, he gave up just one run over 13 1/3 innings with 18 strikeouts to two walks. It then became a question of how to manage his workload and continue to push forward his development, given the lack of in-season reps.
Upon a promotion to Double-A Akron, Campbell stretched out to four or five innings at a time. His control wobbled more with 22 walks in 36 2/3 innings, but he still held a 2.70 ERA with 44 K's and one home run allowed.
Of course, no story -- a hero's journey or otherwise -- is completely smooth. While warming up to make his Triple-A debut on July 1, he suffered a left oblique strain that is expected to sideline him five to seven weeks.
Still, the season is a massive success for Campbell, who's had the tools the entire time. He has an ideal pitcher's frame, impressive command and a deep arsenal of pitches. He can attack vertically with 40 inches of separation between his fastball and curve. He can attack horizontally with his slider and burgeoning cutter. And hitters still have trouble making hard contact against his changeup.
This isn't the path Campbell may have written up, but after trials and tests, he's nearing the final threshold to becoming a big league contributor.
"He's had more significant injuries in the past, he's learned how to build a resilient mindset approaching those and I know he's confident," Binder said. "He's feeling strong now, and we're confident that he'll be able to learn from the past, and with his current mindset, be able to get back on the mound later this season."