It’s Roman Anthony time in Boston. The Red Sox are calling up Anthony after an impressive run in Triple-A, one that saw him showcase discipline & power. Now, he’ll join Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, and a young nucleus in Boston.
A Look at Anthony
The Red Sox used their first three picks in the 2022 MLB Draft on high school position players. Mikey Romero (1st) and Cutter Coffey (2nd) both landed seven-figure bonuses. However, no player from that draft class for Boston netted a higher bonus than Roman Anthony.
Anthony took $2.5MM to forego an Ole Miss commitment. It was a worthy move, in hindsight. The now-21-year-old flashed plus power, as he blasted a 450-foot home run the summer before during a showcase game in Denver. Since then, Anthony has developed into arguably the top prospect in baseball.
The Red Sox outfield prospect posted a .869 OPS in his first full season in 2023, moving his way up to Double-A. With Portland in 2024, Anthony hit .269/.367/.489 (.856 OPS) with 15 home runs before moving up to Worcester (AAA). He hit .344 over 35 games with the WooSox to cap off a strong 2024 season.
Anthony is a hulking figure at 6’3” and 200 pounds. There were stolen bases in his game but he’s cut down on that; Anthony stole three bases on six attempts this season, juxtaposed to 21 steals on 28 attempts last season.
The real draw of Anthony is power. Anthony notched a lot of doubles in 2023-24. However, he was able to put up strong home run numbers, nearly hitting 20 in both the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. This season with Worcester, Anthony posted 10 home runs before the promotion.
Anthony’s 32 recorded barrels were easily the most in Triple-A this season, six ahead of Royals prospect Cam Devanney. And in his last week with the WooSox, Anthony cranked a 497-foot home run, what is as of now the furthest recorded home run in pro baseball here this season.
With Anthony, it’s a lot of bat speed and usage of the core down.
Yes, there’s swing-and-miss (27.0% Whiff% in Triple-A) in his game. But, it wasn’t excessive in Triple-A.
But aside from the power, Anthony is also a very disciplined hitter, only increasing his potential value. The 21-year-old, as of June 9, is the International League leader in walks, with 51 over 58 contests.
Granted, he saw a lot of pitches out of the zone; 53.5%, to be exact. But this has been a hallmark of his game. In each of his first three full pro seasons, Anthony’s never averaged fewer than four pitchers per plate appearance. And, he rarely chased (18.5%).
There was some chatter in Boston about Anthony potentially getting reps at first base, to replace Triston Casas. Anthony is athletic and fits better in the outfield. He played a lot of center field early on in his Minor League career — and he gunned down a fair amount of runners there, as well, with seven assists in 2023.
Anthony saw time in all three outfield positions this season. Most of that time, though, was spent in left field.
Roman Anthony himself confirmed he would was promoted to the Red Sox on June 9.
Analysis
Anthony didn’t have much left to prove at Triple-A. That much was obvious from his performance with Worcester. However, how we would fit into the Red Sox’s lineup was a different story.
Jarren Duran (108 OPS+) and Wilyer Abreu (118 OPS+) have both been productive, while center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela — who can move around the field — has been a hot hitter over the last few weeks.
Nonetheless, it was only a matter of time before the Red Sox had to address what is a very good problem. What helped was the fact Abreu will need an IL stint, opening the door for Anthony.
And now, Red Sox fans can now begin to piece together what their future may look like, now that he, along with Kristian Campbell & Marcelo Mayer, are all in the Majors.
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