Roman Anthony — baseball’s No. 1 prospect — ready to embrace challenge with Red Sox

By Conor Ryan Roman Anthony has heard it all at this point.

Theres the talk of his advanced approach at the plate , even for a player who was facing high-school pitching just two years ago.

Theres the discourse over Anthonys relative inexperience and evident production with a poised outfielder who just turned 20 last year already knocking on the door at the big leagues.

Theyre surprised, Anthony said of his teammates in Triple-A Worcester many of whom are at least three to five years older than him.

But its not weird for me.

Like Ive always been around older guys, always played up.

And, of course, theres the slew of prospect rankings many of which have already anointed the Red Sox skilled outfielder as the top young talent in baseball.

Baseball America was the first to crown Anthony as the No.

1 MLB prospect in September 2024, while Baseball Prospectus tabbed Anthony in the same top spot with their latest rankings on Tuesday.

Those lofty labels bring pressure and high expectations.

But with his first hacks at Fenway Park potentially a few months away, Anthony isnt spending any time looking at his prospect rankings.

I dont think any of it matters, to be honest, Anthony admitted Tuesday at Bostons Rookie Development Program at Fenway Park.

I havent done anything in the big leagues yet.

Im just looking forward to getting in and helping this team win.

A 2025 Red Sox roster anticipating for an influx of young talent would welcome the arrival of Anthony at some point this summer.

Even if the talented outfielder needs a bit more seasoning in Worcester to start the new season, the early returns have already been promising at the highest level of the minor leagues.

Anthony first put himself on the radar of top talent evaluators in 2023, with his plate discipline, exit velocity, and bat speed painting the picture of a force at the plate even if those didnt exactly translate into elite results in the stat sheet.

The 2024 season was the best of both worlds for Anthony when it came to that knack of hammering pitches leading to production.

He slashed .291/.396/.498 with 18 home runs, 65 RBI, and 21 stolen bases over 119 total games between Double-A Portland and Worcester last season, with his numbers spiking after closing out the summer against Triple-A pitching (.344/.463/.519 over 35 games).

Roman Anthony freakin nuke.

108, 433'.

pic.twitter.com/3DCp2FaWhz While Anthony has seemingly elevated his ceiling with each new promotion up the minor-league ladder, his rapid growth hasnt come as a surprise to Red Sox Senior Director of Player Development Brian Abraham.

I mean the talent, the work ethic, the willingness to push himself in order to get better, Abraham said of what has stood out in Anthonys development.

Again, those are the traits and the characteristics you want out of all of our players.

He represents our young group, our minor-league group.

He represents the organization how youd want someone whos willing to push himself.

...

So were really excited about where he is and the progress he continues to make.

Much like Worcester teammates in Kristian Campbell (No.

3 prospect on Baseball Prospectus) and Marcelo Mayer (No.

25), Anthony will be knocking on the door with Boston in short order.

But Anthony who compared himself to former MVPs Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger on Tuesday while speaking to NESN is not focused on a talk of a mid-season call-up.

Of course, Anthony said of trying to break camp with the big-league roster.

Going into spring training with that mentality, trying to win a job.

Theres really no other goal for me.

So yeah, I feel ready.

Im doing everything I can, and trusting the front office trusting theyll make the right decision.

Conor Ryan Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

Sign up for Red Sox updates Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during baseball season.

Be civil.

Be kind..

This article has been shared from the original article on boston, here is the link to the original article.