Article: Red Sox 2024 Offseason Top Prospects: #1, Roman Anthony

[Alex Mayes]

Welcome back to Talk Sox’s 2024 top 20 prospect rundown! Today concludes the top prospect list with the number one overall prospect in all of baseball, Roman Anthony. These rankings were voted on and compiled by the Talk Sox community.

We made it! I’m proud of us; we did it. So far we’ve written and commented about the top 19 Red Sox prospects and it’s been great. People have disagreed with takes on the prospects and their rankings, but this one? This one was never in doubt. Roman Anthony is the top prospect in the Red Sox system and in the entire minor leagues. We all have high hopes for this kid and so far he appears as if he’s going to exceed every one of them. If there’s one prospect who should be untouchable this offseason, no matter what the return is, it’s Anthony.

If you missed any of the other rankings, you can find them all below:

20-16, 15-11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Between Portland and Worcester, Anthony slashed .291/.396/.498 this season. He hit 18 total home runs and flashed a bit of speed as well, swiping 21 bags. His swing is easy, it has some loft, and it plays to all fields. Sure, he’s yet another left-handed bat, but Anthony has the potential to be a perennial All-Star as a right fielder. Once he hits the majors, more than likely in 2025, he could not only be the best hitter in Boston but potentially the best hitter in the league. That’s not hyperbole, that’s not me being a homer. Roman Anthony is that good at baseball. If we overlay his triple-A spray chart over Fenway Park it’s impressive. Keep in mind he only played 35 games in Worcester and Baseball Savant doesn’t include anything below that level in its graphs. 

We’re looking at someone who has the potential to light up Fenway in ways we haven’t seen in a long time. Imagine this kind of power slotted into the cleanup spot in the lineup, protecting Rafael Devers. Suddenly, Devers starts to see more fastballs as pitchers know they have another power threat in the on-deck circle and can’t pitch around him. 

Expect to spend a large portion of the offseason and spring training hearing about whether the Red Sox pencil Anthony into the starting lineup already. The debate has already started in media circles and it will pick up steam as the team starts to sign free agents and make trades, especially if those trades involve anyone else from the big four in Worcester. I don’t anticipate Anthony breaking camp with the Red Sox unless he shines against big league pitching in spring training, but after a few weeks down in Triple-A, he likely will prove that he’s too advanced for that league and will get the call-up to the show quickly. 

Roman Anthony has the potential to be the guy for the Red Sox for years to come. That’s a ton of pressure on someone who is only 20 years old. He seems ready to shoulder that pressure. In interviews he’s humble but you can tell he knows he’s as good as everyone thinks he is. That kind of confidence will play well in Boston, both with the fans and the media. Expect Anthony to be the everyday right fielder in Boston soon, even if the Red Sox do manage to sign Juan Soto. Hey, a man can dream, right?

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[Soxlover]

I expect the Sox to wait to add all or all but one of the top 4 prospects to the 40 and 26, until after opening day. None need to be added. We have a pretty solid starting line-up, already.

we can either wait until they gain an extra year of control or until we open a roster spot by placing someone on the 60 IL.

If anyone breaks camp on the big team, I think it will be Anthony.