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Meet Baseball’s Newest No. 1 Prospect

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Roman Anthony is baseball’s newest No. 1 prospect. The 20-year-old has slugged through the minors, and now is knocking on the door of the Boston Red Sox. Anthony is now the third No. 1 prospect for the Red Sox since 1990, joining Daisuke Matsuzaka (2007), and Andrew Benintendi (2017).

Baseball’s Newest Top Prospect: Roman Anthony

Rise to No.1

Roman Anthony entered the Red Sox system in August 2022 as the 56th-ranked prospect of the 2022 draft. He played just 11 games in the FCL circuit before getting called up to Single-A Salem. Anthony entered the 2023 season as the 10th-ranked Red Sox prospect. He played in 42 games in Salem where he struggled, slashing just .228/.317/.693. Despite the slow start, Anthony was promoted to the Greenville Drive (A+) where he began to display the tools that now former GM Chaim Bloom saw in him. In Greenville, he hit 12 home runs in just 54 games and had an OPS of .981. The Red Sox promoted Anthony once again in 2023, bringing the then 19-year-old to Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.

Roman Anthony began his 2024 campaign on most top 100 prospect lists, and was now ranked fifth within the Red Sox organization. After a slow April, where Anthony hit just .206 in 19 games, he would turn on the burners and have splits of .269/.489/.856 into early August. Anthony would gain serious national attention in July at the Futures Skills Showcase. He won the competition in dramatic fashion, putting on a show alongside other top prospects. On August 11th, Anthony would be promoted to Triple-A Worcester. With him, top 100 prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel also got the call.

Anthony would hit the ground sprinting in Worcester. In just 29 games in Triple-A, he had an OPS of .935. On September 10th, Junior Caminero graduated from the Baseball America prospect list, and the next morning Roman Anthony was anointed the No.1 prospect in baseball.

Strengths

Diving into Roman Anthony’s statistics, it is clear that his biggest advantage is the raw strength he provides at the plate. Anthony has a 60 graded power rating on his scouting report. SoxProspects.com describes his power as; “a swing designed to drive the ball with loft and backspin and has shown the ability to hit the ball 400-plus feet. Has shown good power to all fields. Plus power potential.” Another advanced ability Anthony has at the dish is his plate discipline. This season in Triple-A, his eye is comparable to some of the best in the sport. In 137 plate appearances, he walked 22 times as opposed to just 26 strikeouts. Another underrated statistic of Roman’s is his ability to not just hit left-handed pitching, but dominate the matchup. This season he’s hit .320/.417/.495/.912 versus lefties across Double and Triple-A.

Weaknesses

To make things clear, Roman Anthony has not shown any weaknesses anyone should be concerned about. But, to nitpick his statistics and find something he can improve upon, it would be his defense. Of his 1,700 2/3 innings played at the minor league level, Roman has primarily played center field (1,300 1/3 IP). Throughout those innings, Anthony had 345 chances, and only committed eight errors. Playing center field requires having an elite jump and route running to the baseball. Anthony has average speed, which will drop as he continues to put on more muscle. A more appropriate position for him that will translate well to his abilities at the major league level would be a corner outfield position. At Fenway Park, where the dimensions are incredibly warped, left field seems like the best fit.

What is the ETA?

With the 2024 minor league season coming to an end in the coming weeks, we begin to ask: when will Roman Anthony make his MLB debut? If he was going to be a call-up this season, the Red Sox would have made that decision already. With only 12 games left on the major league schedule, it doesn’t make much sense to throw Roman into Boston at this point. Once spring training comes along next February, Anthony will have the opportunity to make the Opening Day roster. Regardless of whether Roman Anthony makes it or not, he will play a key role with the Red Sox in 2025.

 

Photo Credit: © WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK

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