Chronicling the Journey of Roman Anthony, From Draft Pick to Contract Extension

The Red Sox selected Roman Anthony from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Florida) in the second round (79th pick) of the 2022 MLB Draft. Anthony spent most of his childhood in West Palm Beach, Florida. He attended Cardinal Newman High School in his hometown for his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Stoneman Douglas to follow his travel ball coach, Todd Fitz-Gerald, and play in a more competitive league. Stoneman Douglas has produced numerous MLB players, including Anthony Rizzo (FA), Coby Mayo (Orioles), and Jesús Luzardo (Phillies).

Even as a teenager, Anthony’s metrics showcased his power, contact ability, and elite plate discipline. He blasted 450-foot home runs at various high school showcases. Between his junior and senior years, he doubled his home run total, nearly doubled his RBIs, and significantly reduced his strikeout rate in just four additional games.  

Perfect Game, a scouting database that hosts tournaments and showcases for high school baseball players, wrote the following about Anthony’s swing in his profile: “Begins with a slightly open stance and a high hand set at the plate; tight turn moving into swing, shows quickness and above average bat speed through the zone. Shows a handle for the barrel, fluidity to path, comes out of coil well into swing and creates separation.”

2022 Season

Anthony graduated from high school just two months before his professional baseball debut. At age 18, he had a brief cup of coffee, splitting time evenly between the Florida Complex League Red Sox and Single-A Salem Red Sox. He finished with a .306 average, .734 OPS, 9.6% strikeout rate, and 10.8% batted ball rate in 20 games.

2023 Season

Anthony stayed in Salem for the start of the 2023 season. Despite his slow start (a recurring theme throughout his career) with a .228 average in 42 games, the organization promoted him to High-A Salem. Anthony quickly found his stride and posted a .294 average, 38 RBIs, and 12 home runs across 54 games. Towards the end of the MiLB season, Anthony was promoted to Double-A Portland and played his last 10 games (.343 average, 1.020 OPS) with the Portland Sea Dogs. Once an under-the-radar prospect at the beginning of the 2023 season, Anthony garnered organizational and national recognition by the end of the year. He was named the Red Sox’s 2023 Minor League Hitter of the Year. Baseball America ranked him as the Red Sox’s No. 1 prospect in 2023, and he jumped onto their Top 100 list as the No. 19 overall prospect.

2024 Season

Anthony entered the 2024 season with increased attention. He began in Double-A Portland, posting a .269 average, .856 OPS, 25.5% strikeout rate, and 12.8% batted ball rate in 84 games. Anthony put on a show-stopping performance at the inaugural 2024 All-Star Future Skills Showcase, displaying his ability to drive the ball to all corners of the ballpark. On July 31, he hit a 116 mph home run, the hardest hit ball in the Red Sox’s entire organization in 2024.

On August 12th, he, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer were promoted to Triple-A Worcester. Anthony finished the season with a .288 average, 913 OPS, 18.9% strikeout and batted ball rate, 108.4 average exit velocity (98th percentile), and 45.5% hard hit (85th percentile) rate in 35 Triple-A games. His strong performance garnered national attention. Come September, Baseball America listed him as the No. 1 prospect in baseball.

2025 Season

Much to the chagrin of Red Sox fans, Anthony stayed in Worcester at the beginning of the 2025 season. It appeared he was major-league-ready. He still showcased the ability to hit for contact, tapped into more of his power, and maintained composure and discipline at the plate.  In 52 games from March to May, he posted a .313 average, 1.244 OPS, 17.5% strikeout rate, and 25.3% batted ball rate. Just days before his eventual call-up, he hit a 497-foot grand slam.

Past performance is the best predictor of future behavior. Just like in the earlier stages of his career, Anthony initially struggled after his major league call-up. He recorded three hits, a .074 average, .416 OPS, 15 wRC+, 25.8% strikeout rate, and a 9.7% batted ball rate in his first 31 plate appearances (from June 9 to June 19). That stretch represents 16% of his total 189 plate appearances. Anthony only needed nine games to adjust to the highest level of competition in professional baseball. Since June 20, he’s been on a tear, slashing .313/.429/.456 with a 149 wRC+, a 14.1% batted ball rate, and a 23.9% strikeout rate. It usually takes at least a season for players to get accustomed to the ever-growing gap between Triple-A and MLB pitching. Consider Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran’s rookie year struggles. He’s brought his power and patience with him to the big leagues. Among players with a minimum of 150 plate appearances, Anthony has posted the fifth-highest hard hit rate (55.0%) and the 15th-lowest chase rate (19.1%).

Most analysts harp on Anthony’s offensive prowess. Depending on who you ask, his defense is middle-of-the-road. He’s already shown flashes of above-average potential, particularly in his range and instincts. Adjusting to the faster style of play on the field hasn’t been an issue for Anthony; he’s made several highlight-reel-worthy catches, including one in his second game where he robbed Jonathan Aranda of a hit in right field. In 47 games, he’s recorded four outs above average and a 61st percentile (27.8 ft/s) sprint speed.

Anthony’s ascension to the majors occurred in the blink of an eye. He just turned 21 this past May and is already wealthier than 99.99% of the people reading this sentence. As much as I loved advanced metrics, what impresses me the most about Roman Anthony is his character.  He demonstrates remarkable poise and maturity in his approach to the game and has consistently maintained a strong desire to improve. Former Red Sox Scout Willie Romay remarked, “A sign of a good player is they’re able to get critiqued and work at it, not everybody does that… I remember having a conversation with Roman, and he’s like, ‘Willie, what do I need to work on that I can be better at? What’s good in my game and what needs to be better?’” In a game where the most successful players fail 70% of the time, a baseball player’s ability to handle adversity and failure is a strong indicator of their success in the majors.

I wrote the following in a previous piece about team-friendly extensions: “Conducting due diligence on the potential face of a franchise is a pivotal step in long-term contract negotiations.” Wander Franco and, more recently, Emmanuel Clase serve as cautionary tales of what can happen when teams overlook that process. That’s what makes Trevor Story’s comments resonate more: “It's hard to believe, man. Just given his stature, the way he carries himself, his maturity level and all that follows him onto the field, too… Just a special person, a special player. Obviously someone who’s gonna be around for a long time, and pumped that he's on our squad.” Teams aren’t just investing in a player’s future performance; they’re committing to his character and his role as the face of the franchise. During a recent game, Jarren Duran made a leaping catch on a Carlos Correa fly ball in center field. Anthony was right behind him, ready to back him up, and immediately checked to make sure he was okay. Ceddanne Rafaela has done the same and vice versa. The boys have each other's backs. While other playoff contenders, like the Cubs, also show strong chemistry (if you want to call it that), the camaraderie the Red Sox have built is special, and Anthony has been a key driving force behind it.

Anthony’s quiet, humble confidence has transformed the clubhouse, and his breakout performance has arguably been the primary catalyst for the Red Sox’s resurgence. At the time of his major league debut, the team held a 32-36 record, sat in fourth place in the AL East, and trailed the final wild card spot by 4.5 games. FanGraphs estimated they had a 15.4% chance of making the playoffs. Since then, the tide has turned dramatically. The Red Sox have posted a 32-16 record, the second-best in baseball, and a run differential of +66, the third highest in the league. Now, the Red Sox hold the first American League wild card spot, have a 75.0% chance (per FanGraphs) of making the playoffs, and are firmly in the race for the AL East division title. With his rare combination of power, elite plate discipline, and most importantly, his exceptional character, the world is Roman Anthony’s oyster, and he’s just getting started.