The Boston Red Sox were one of the best teams in baseball this year and their young prospects played a huge part in this success.
Kristian Campbell began the season on the big league roster, but didn’t domiinate like fans would have liked. Marcelo Mayer looked like a star at times and seems to have a role carved out for the future. Pitchers like Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle all helped the Red Sox’s cause. But the top rookie on the team was outfielder Roman Anthony.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently shared some high praise for Anthony and called him the No. 2 ranked rookie in all of baseball this year, only trailing superstar Nick Kurtz of the Athletics.
Roman Anthony is already a star for the Red Sox
“Roman Anthony entered the year as the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball after hitting .291/.396/.498 with 54 extra-base hits in the upper levels of the minors in his age-20 season in 2024,” Reuter wrote. “He made his MLB debut on June 9, and while he got off to a slow start, he hit .329/.420/.510 in 245 plate appearances over his final 55 games before landing on the injured list with an oblique strain.
“The Red Sox ended up going 44-27 (.620) in the 71 games he played, compared to 45-46 (.494) without him in the lineup, and their Wild Card Series matchup with the Yankees might have gone differently with him in the mix.”
You don’t see 21-year-old talent like Anthony very often. In 257 at-bats at the big league level, the young outfielder slashed .292/.396/.463 with a 140 OPS+ and a 3.1 WAR. If he is able to get healthy over the offseason and record a year’s worth of at-bats, the Red Sox might have an All-MLB level player on their hands.
With young prospects, it’s often the potential that is the “wow” factor. With Anthony, it’s a combination of his potential and his production. He could stay at this level of production for his entire career and be a star in the game. But with the expectation that he improves, the Red Sox could have a future MVP in the making.
Anthony is one of the top young outfielders in baseball and it’s likely going to remain that way for years to come.
