Roman Anthony, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, is officially a big leaguer.
After two months of speculation, fan base frustration and Triple-A moon shots, the Red Sox called up the 21-year-old outfielder on Monday. Anthony, born on May 13, 2004, is now the youngest player in The Show, taking that title away from fellow 2004 baby and Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio.
Advertisement
Through his first two games, Anthony has already offered a tantalizing glimpse of what made him such a highly touted prospect. That includes blistering a ball at 111.2 mph, which signaled that from a skill standpoint, Anthony is ready to compete at the highest level.
Why is he a big the biggest deal?
Anthony is MLB’s top prospect because his offensive ceiling is stratospheric.
Drafted 79th overall in 2022 but given a signing bonus commensurate with a late-first-round slot, Anthony was well-known as a high schooler, but he wasn’t a “can’t-miss” prospect. Evaluators worried that the young Floridian might be something of a tweener — an outfielder who doesn’t hit enough to start in a corner but doesn’t have an elite glove in center field. Think Hunter Renfroe, Will Benson, late-career Jason Heyward or the current scuffling version of Brandon Marsh.
But upon entering pro ball, Anthony shed the tweener label almost immediately. His power potential, contact ability and swing decisions were all well beyond expectations. He shined in 2023, carving up High-A pitchers despite being 3.3 years younger than the average player. And the real breakout came a year later, when Anthony slashed .291/.396/.498 between Double-A and Triple-A. That propelled him to the top of prospect lists this past winter, with nearly every public prognosticator having the Boston basher slotted in at No. 2 behind the older and more professionally established Roki Sasaki.
Advertisement
Anthony is by no means a butcher in the grass or a plodder on the bases; he remains passable in center field and recorded an 82nd percentile run time in his MLB debut. But the value here is tied up in the bat, which has a chance to be special. He’s a supreme in-box athlete, with a wonderful combination of looseness and power. That juice comes more from his arms, wrists and hands than from his lower half, but Anthony’s far from pushy. He’s able to generate amazing pop without selling out completely.
And the numbers back up the eye test.
Just last week, while still a member of the Worcester Red Sox, Anthony launched a 497-foot grand slam, the longest home run in pro baseball this year. Earlier in the season, he smoked one 116 mph, something that only 19 players have done in the bigs this season. Through his first two MLB games, Anthony’s tracked bat speed already ranks in the 87th percentile, alongside guys such as Elly De La Cruz, Bryce Harper and Bobby Witt Jr.
What type of player could he become?
The ceiling is somewhere around Kyle Tucker or peak Christian Yelich. Both of those players were active on the bases, something Anthony has been during his time in the minors.
Advertisement
Like Yelich, Anthony occasionally struggles to lift the baseball. In Triple-A this year, he posted a 52.2% ground ball rate, a mark that would be eighth-highest among qualified MLB hitters this year (Yelich, at 58.3%, ranks first). There are a number of successful players in this range — Fernando Tatis Jr., Elly De La Cruz, Jacob Wilson, James Wood and Gunnar Henderson are all over 50% — but bashing the ball into the turf so often gives Anthony a much smaller margin for error. Thankfully, Anthony, like that group, hits the ball hard enough to have success while running such a high ground ball rate.
If Anthony hits the ground running — no pun intended — it might look a lot like Detroit’s Riley Greene. If it takes a bit more time for his average to stabilize and the contact ability to show, it could be more along the lines of Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez. If Anthony fills out more than expected, loses a step or two and doesn’t hit for as much average as is anticipated, Jay Bruce or the older version Brandon Nimmo might be reasonable comparisons.
One last note about Anthony’s offensive profile: He rarely swings. His swing rate the past three seasons has hovered between 35% and 38%, an incredibly low figure that would place him in MLB’s bottom five. The only player with a lower swing rate than the 35.6% Anthony posted in Triple-A this year? Juan Soto.
How does he fit on the current Red Sox roster?
That it took so long for Boston to call upon its top prospect says more about the state of the team’s big-league roster than it does about Anthony. The Sox entered the season with all three outfield positions spoken for: Jarren Duran in left, Ceddanne Rafaela in center, Wilyer Abreu in right. An oblique issue for Abreu was the catalyst for Anthony’s promotion.
Advertisement
How Anthony fits in once Abreu, who is also a left-handed-swinging right fielder, returns from the IL depends on a number of factors. How long will Abreu be sidelined? How does Anthony look in his absence? Do the Red Sox move Rafaela to the infield and send scuffling rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell to Triple-A for a refresh? Does another club construct an appealing trade package for Rafaela or Duran, opening a spot in the grass?
The immediate future for Boston’s much maligned defensive alignment remains murky and complicated. But with Anthony in the fold, the long-run dreaming begins to feel more tangible.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Mets ace Kodai Senga placed on IL with hamstring strain
<!--> New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga left Thursday’s start against the Washington Nationals with an apparent right leg injury, and was placed on the 15-day Injured List immediately after the game. Mets' manager Carlos Mendoza announced the move to reporters post-game.Senga allowed just two baserunners in the first 5.1 innings before racing to cover first on CJ Abrams’ grounder to Pete Alonso. Senga made a leaping grab of Alonso’s high throw and touched the bag with his right foot on his way down.But the 32-year-old stumbled upon landing and reached for the back of his right leg before hopping and eventually tumbling to the ground.Senga was visited by Mendoza, a trainer and his interpreter before being surrounded by teammates. He got up and walked off the field on his own, albeit with a slight limp. No information about the severity […]
Patrick Reed hits the rarest of shots — an albatross — at the U.S. Open
<!--> Patrick Reed made only the fourth double-eagle since the U.S. Open started keeping records some four decades ago, dunking in his second shot from 286 yards Thursday on the par-5 fourth hole at Oakmont.The so-called albatross is considered the rarest shot in golf, with only a few hundred being made a year across the world, compared to more than 30,000 holes-in-one.Reed looked stunned after he hit a fairway wood onto the green, watched it bounce three times and then roll toward the hole. Unsure of where the ball went, he raised his palm to the sky, then pointed downward, asking if it went in.The applause up at the green gave him the answer.The 2018 Masters champion joins T.C. Chen (1985 at Oakland Hills), Shaun Micheel (2010 at Pebble Beach) and Nick Watney (2012 at the Olympics) as the only […]
Flamengo se destaca nas redes sociais, superando times de Lionel Messi e Cristiano Ronaldo
Elenco do Flamengo com a taça de campeão da Copa do Brasil (X oficial Copa do Brasil) Com uma das maiores torcidas do Brasil, o Flamengo também se destaca no mundo digital, sendo um dos times com mais seguidores em suas redes sociais. Conforme publicado pelo Observatório do Futebol (CIES) a equipe carioca é a 15ª mais popular em ranking mundial. Inclusive o Mengão é o primeiro time fora da Europa no Top-100, superando o Al-Nassr de Cristiano Ronaldo, 16º e o Inter Miami de Lionel Messi, 23º colocado. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE O Flamengo tem o Instagram como sua plataforma de mais destaque, com 22 milhões de seguidores, seguido do X (antigo Twitter), com 14,2 milhões. Ranking de clubes com mais seguidores nas redes sociais (Reprodução CIES)Alcance rubro-negro nas redes sociais Ao considerar cada plataforma de forma individual, o Flamengo aparece […]
Mano projeta goleada histórica do PSG na Copa do Mundo de Clubes: “O Botafogo toma 8, tá de brincadeira”
PSG, atual campeão da Champions League - Foto: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Está chegando a hora! Falta pouco para que os torcedores confiram todas as emoções da Copa do Mundo de Clubes da Fifa. O novo torneio começa neste sábado (14) e, um dia depois, no domingo (15), já teremos brasileiros em campo. O Botafogo, por exemplo, fará sua estreia frente ao Seattle Sounders, dos Estados Unidos. Aliás, o Glorioso, que é o atual campeão da Copa Libertadores, tem pela frente uma chave difícil. Além dos norte-americanos, os cariocas vão jogar contra Atlético de Madrid e Paris Saint-Germain, este sendo simplesmente o último campeão da Champions League. Por isso, muitos acreditam que o Botafogo sequer passará de fase. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Mano não acredita no Botafogo no Mundial É a opinião também do jornalista Mauricio Borges, conhecido como Mano. No programa “Arena […]
Men’s College World Series preview: Storylines and players to watch as games begin Friday in Omaha
Four months ago, 307 programs across the country took the field for another exciting season of Division I baseball. Now, less than 3% of those programs are still playing, with an intriguing group of eight schools set to battle it out in Omaha for the national championship.Last year’s Men’s College World Series field featured four teams from the SEC and four teams from the ACC, eliciting concerns that too much of the talent had become concentrated in the power conferences and that parity would be impossible to achieve in this era of college baseball. The 2025 season represented a refreshing rebuke of that notion, with the top-25 rankings enduring dramatic shake-ups on a weekly basis and a highly entertaining postseason culminating in a World Series field with a healthy amount of conference variety.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOnly the SEC has multiple teams in Omaha […]
College World Series 2025: How to watch the tournament this week
The Men's College World Series returns to Charles Schwab Field in Omaha this week with eight baseball teams competing for the NCAA Division I championship title. The teams who have made it into the World Series this year are Murray State, who are competing in the World Series for the first time, along with UCLA, Arkansas, LSU, Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State and Louisville. The majority of games throughout the tournament will air on ESPN, and you can stream every game on ESPN+. Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 College World Series including the brackets, schedule, streaming information and more.How to watch the 2025 College World Series:Dates: June 13-23, 2025AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTV channel: ESPN, ESPN2, ABCStreaming: Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, ESPN+When is the College World Series?The College World Series runs from June 13 through June 23 (if necessary).Which […]
Related
Mets ace Kodai Senga placed on IL with hamstring strain
<!--> New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga left Thursday’s start against the Washington Nationals with an apparent right leg injury, and was placed on the 15-day Injured List immediately after the game. Mets' manager Carlos Mendoza announced the move to reporters post-game.Senga allowed just two baserunners in the first 5.1 innings before racing to cover first on CJ Abrams’ grounder to Pete Alonso. Senga made a leaping grab of Alonso’s high throw and touched the bag with his right foot on his way down.But the 32-year-old stumbled upon landing and reached for the back of his right leg before hopping and eventually tumbling to the ground.Senga was visited by Mendoza, a trainer and his interpreter before being surrounded by teammates. He got up and walked off the field on his own, albeit with a slight limp. No information about the severity […]
Patrick Reed hits the rarest of shots — an albatross — at the U.S. Open
<!--> Patrick Reed made only the fourth double-eagle since the U.S. Open started keeping records some four decades ago, dunking in his second shot from 286 yards Thursday on the par-5 fourth hole at Oakmont.The so-called albatross is considered the rarest shot in golf, with only a few hundred being made a year across the world, compared to more than 30,000 holes-in-one.Reed looked stunned after he hit a fairway wood onto the green, watched it bounce three times and then roll toward the hole. Unsure of where the ball went, he raised his palm to the sky, then pointed downward, asking if it went in.The applause up at the green gave him the answer.The 2018 Masters champion joins T.C. Chen (1985 at Oakland Hills), Shaun Micheel (2010 at Pebble Beach) and Nick Watney (2012 at the Olympics) as the only […]
Flamengo se destaca nas redes sociais, superando times de Lionel Messi e Cristiano Ronaldo
Elenco do Flamengo com a taça de campeão da Copa do Brasil (X oficial Copa do Brasil) Com uma das maiores torcidas do Brasil, o Flamengo também se destaca no mundo digital, sendo um dos times com mais seguidores em suas redes sociais. Conforme publicado pelo Observatório do Futebol (CIES) a equipe carioca é a 15ª mais popular em ranking mundial. Inclusive o Mengão é o primeiro time fora da Europa no Top-100, superando o Al-Nassr de Cristiano Ronaldo, 16º e o Inter Miami de Lionel Messi, 23º colocado. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE O Flamengo tem o Instagram como sua plataforma de mais destaque, com 22 milhões de seguidores, seguido do X (antigo Twitter), com 14,2 milhões. Ranking de clubes com mais seguidores nas redes sociais (Reprodução CIES)Alcance rubro-negro nas redes sociais Ao considerar cada plataforma de forma individual, o Flamengo aparece […]
Mano projeta goleada histórica do PSG na Copa do Mundo de Clubes: “O Botafogo toma 8, tá de brincadeira”
PSG, atual campeão da Champions League - Foto: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Está chegando a hora! Falta pouco para que os torcedores confiram todas as emoções da Copa do Mundo de Clubes da Fifa. O novo torneio começa neste sábado (14) e, um dia depois, no domingo (15), já teremos brasileiros em campo. O Botafogo, por exemplo, fará sua estreia frente ao Seattle Sounders, dos Estados Unidos. Aliás, o Glorioso, que é o atual campeão da Copa Libertadores, tem pela frente uma chave difícil. Além dos norte-americanos, os cariocas vão jogar contra Atlético de Madrid e Paris Saint-Germain, este sendo simplesmente o último campeão da Champions League. Por isso, muitos acreditam que o Botafogo sequer passará de fase. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Mano não acredita no Botafogo no Mundial É a opinião também do jornalista Mauricio Borges, conhecido como Mano. No programa “Arena […]
Men’s College World Series preview: Storylines and players to watch as games begin Friday in Omaha
Four months ago, 307 programs across the country took the field for another exciting season of Division I baseball. Now, less than 3% of those programs are still playing, with an intriguing group of eight schools set to battle it out in Omaha for the national championship.Last year’s Men’s College World Series field featured four teams from the SEC and four teams from the ACC, eliciting concerns that too much of the talent had become concentrated in the power conferences and that parity would be impossible to achieve in this era of college baseball. The 2025 season represented a refreshing rebuke of that notion, with the top-25 rankings enduring dramatic shake-ups on a weekly basis and a highly entertaining postseason culminating in a World Series field with a healthy amount of conference variety.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOnly the SEC has multiple teams in Omaha […]
College World Series 2025: How to watch the tournament this week
The Men's College World Series returns to Charles Schwab Field in Omaha this week with eight baseball teams competing for the NCAA Division I championship title. The teams who have made it into the World Series this year are Murray State, who are competing in the World Series for the first time, along with UCLA, Arkansas, LSU, Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State and Louisville. The majority of games throughout the tournament will air on ESPN, and you can stream every game on ESPN+. Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 College World Series including the brackets, schedule, streaming information and more.How to watch the 2025 College World Series:Dates: June 13-23, 2025AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTV channel: ESPN, ESPN2, ABCStreaming: Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, ESPN+When is the College World Series?The College World Series runs from June 13 through June 23 (if necessary).Which […]
Be the first to leave a comment