Roman Anthony

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #1 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 65/Medium.
  
  Track Record: Anthony has spent his baseball life surrounded by top talents. He grew up close friends with Jackson Holliday and attended Stoneman Douglas High, the South Florida power that produced Anthony Rizzo, Jesus Luzardo and Coby Mayo. In that company, he learned to swim in the deep end of the pool, standing out as both advanced and mature for his age and culminating with a standout senior year as a 17-year-old. Some swing-and-miss concerns based on his struggles in the 2021 summer showcase circuit left him available at the No. 79 pick for the Red Sox, who had a compensation pick in 2022 for the free agent departure of Eduardo Rodriguez. Boston signed Anthony for $2.5 million, the equivalent of late first-round money. Since entering pro ball, he has excelled, combining tremendous swing decisions with elite bat speed. He has a tremendous capacity to improve at a rapid clip, resulting in one of the quickest ascents in the Red Sox system in decades. Not only did Anthony reach Triple-A at 20 years and three months—the youngest Boston prospect to reach the top rung of the minor league system since 1977—but he looked very much at home against experienced competition, posting a .983 OPS in a 35-game sample.
  
  Scouting Report: Anthony features elite bat speed and a selective approach that serve as the foundation for routinely scorching pitches in the strike zone. He posted an elite 90th percentile exit velocity of 109 mph in 2024, topped by a 116 mph bolt for a home run at Double-A Portland that represented the hardest-hit ball by any Red Sox player at any level in 2024. There are aspects of Anthony’s approach in need of ironing: While he has the ability to clear the fences from line to line, his bat path sometimes flattens, contributing to a 48% groundball rate; his selectivity sometimes lapses into passivity; and he has gone through periods of in-zone swing-and-miss. But his rapid improvements—his OPS went up in every month of 2024, a pattern that held even after his midseason promotion to Triple-A, and his line against lefthanders improved from .219/.378/.375 in 2023 to .316/.414/.490 in 2024—suggest a talented player who can grow into a force. Defensively, Anthony has spent most of his time in center field and prides himself on his defensive work, but he lacks the elite range of a true center fielder. His range and arm will be an asset in right or left field. Anthony has posted impressive home-to-first run times in the low four seconds, but he has a heavy stride that limits his burst, and he’s likely to get bigger and slow down as he ages.
  
  The Future: Anthony’s rapid path and advanced offensive approach at a young age suggest the possibility that he could reach the big leagues as a 20-year-old—he turns 21 in May 2025—and become a franchise cornerstone soon thereafter. Boston’s offseason will dictate whether he opens 2025 in Triple-A or the big leagues, but either way, he’s a building block.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 65 | Run: 45 | Field: 55 | Arm: 60.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #2 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 60/High
  
  Track Record: While Anthony’s draft stock took a hit due to swing-and-miss issues on the showcase circuit, he rebounded with a fantastic senior season at Stoneman Douglas High. The Red Sox drafted him 79th overall in 2022 and signed him for $2.5 million, roughly triple slot value. Initially at Low-A Salem in 2023, Anthony earned raves for his swing decisions and exit velocities despite pedestrian surface stats. The Red Sox trusted the under-the-hood numbers and promoted him to High-A Greenville in June. There, his production caught up to his metrics in a startling power binge. Despite a late-summer strikeout surge, he moved to Double-A Portland to end the year.
  
  Scouting Report: Anthony has the size, strength and body of a power hitter, and his disciplined approach amplifies the likelihood of him emerging as one. He’s comfortable letting the ball travel deep, swinging at strikes and driving pitches to all fields. Though a level swing early in the year yielded a high groundball rate and little power in Salem, he proved increasingly adept at getting the ball in the air with impressive juice--110 mph max exit velocity--as the year progressed. Anthony whiffed a lot on breaking balls in the zone and will need to improve in that area to emerge as an average hitter. In 2023, he outplayed defensive expectations to earn a continued shot to stick in center field, though many evaluators see his future in right field, where he shows above-average potential. Anthony showed surprising speed, with times of 4.1 and 4.2 seconds from home to first base, but he likely will slow as he continues to grow.
  
  The Future: Anthony looks like a potential middle-of-the-order force. He’ll open 2024 back in Double-A, with a 2025 or even late-2024 big league arrival possible.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Field: 55 | Arm: 55
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #9 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Anthony was a force at South Florida power Stoneman Douglas High, hitting .520/.589/.980 with 10 homers in 32 games as a senior and showing elite power potential combined with a sound approach at the plate. The Red Sox drafted him 79th overall in 2022 and signed him for $2.5 million--roughly triple slot value--to pass on a scholarship to Mississippi. Anthony had consistently impressive at-bats in his brief pro debut, hitting .429/.475/.486 in the Florida Complex League, then posting more walks (five) than strikeouts (four) with Low-A Salem.
  
  Scouting Report: While Anthony shows plus to double-plus raw power and can clear fences with ease, he controls at-bats in impressive fashion, particularly for a player with his stout frame. While his raw power is obvious, there's less consensus around Anthony's pure hitting ability. He showed swing-and-miss tendencies during the showcase circuit in high school but made adjustments during the spring and also performed well in a brief pro debut. He already has size and strength but projects to get bigger. Anthony's ability to maintain mobility in his next 15 pounds represents a key that will determine whether he stays in center field, though the safest bet would be an eventual move to right field. Still, his bat projects well in a corner, as does his arm.
  
  The Future: In a system deep in up-the-middle athletes with balanced skill sets, Anthony stands out for his middle-of-the-order potential that could slot him as a run-producer, if his mature approach as a young hitter remains intact as he moves up and fills out. He most likely will become a power-hitting corner down the road, though the Red Sox won't rush him off center field. Anthony will open 2023 in Low-A Salem, with the possibility of a 2025 or 2026 big league ETA.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #72 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla. Committed/Drafted: Mississippi
  Age At Draft: 18.2
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: | Curveball: | Slider: | Changeup: | Cutter: | Control:
  Hailing from the same Southern Florida powerhouse that also produced Anthony Rizzo, Jesus Luzardo and, more recently, Coby Mayo, Anthony is the latest top prospect to come out of the program and he brings a powerful lefthanded bat with him. Listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Anthony looks the part of a developing young slugger with wide shoulders and present strength that shows up in the form of massive, 400-plus foot home runs. His raw power is easily plus, and when he catches a pitch on the barrel, there are few players in the class who can send a baseball as far as he can. However, Anthony struggled with swing-and-miss issues over the showcase circuit, which raised questions about his pure hitting ability. He made more contact this spring as the three-hole hitter for one of the best high school teams in the country, and he led all hitters with seven hits at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational. A center fielder now, Anthony likely moves to a corner outfield position in the future, but he moves well underway and is a savvy and aggressive baserunner currently. He is committed to Mississippi.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #2 prospect in 2025
• Ranked Baseball America's #1 prospect in 2024
• Ranked Baseball America's #19 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Anthony was a force at South Florida power Stoneman Douglas High, hitting .520/.589/.980 with 10 homers in 32 games as a senior and showing elite power potential combined with a sound approach at the plate. The Red Sox drafted him 79th overall in 2022 and signed him for $2.5 million--roughly triple slot value--to pass on a scholarship to Mississippi. Anthony had consistently impressive at-bats in his brief pro debut, hitting .429/.475/.486 in the Florida Complex League, then posting more walks (five) than strikeouts (four) with Low-A Salem.
  
  Scouting Report: While Anthony shows plus to double-plus raw power and can clear fences with ease, he controls at-bats in impressive fashion, particularly for a player with his stout frame. While his raw power is obvious, there's less consensus around Anthony's pure hitting ability. He showed swing-and-miss tendencies during the showcase circuit in high school but made adjustments during the spring and also performed well in a brief pro debut. He already has size and strength but projects to get bigger. Anthony's ability to maintain mobility in his next 15 pounds represents a key that will determine whether he stays in center field, though the safest bet would be an eventual move to right field. Still, his bat projects well in a corner, as does his arm.
  
  The Future: In a system deep in up-the-middle athletes with balanced skill sets, Anthony stands out for his middle-of-the-order potential that could slot him as a run-producer, if his mature approach as a young hitter remains intact as he moves up and fills out. He most likely will become a power-hitting corner down the road, though the Red Sox won't rush him off center field. Anthony will open 2023 in Low-A Salem, with the possibility of a 2025 or 2026 big league ETA.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Anthony was a force at South Florida power Stoneman Douglas High, hitting .520/.589/.980 with 10 homers in 32 games as a senior and showing elite power potential combined with a sound approach at the plate. The Red Sox drafted him 79th overall in 2022 and signed him for $2.5 million--roughly triple slot value--to pass on a scholarship to Mississippi. Anthony had consistently impressive at-bats in his brief pro debut, hitting .429/.475/.486 in the Florida Complex League, then posting more walks (five) than strikeouts (four) with Low-A Salem.
  
  Scouting Report: While Anthony shows plus to double-plus raw power and can clear fences with ease, he controls at-bats in impressive fashion, particularly for a player with his stout frame. While his raw power is obvious, there's less consensus around Anthony's pure hitting ability. He showed swing-and-miss tendencies during the showcase circuit in high school but made adjustments during the spring and also performed well in a brief pro debut. He already has size and strength but projects to get bigger. Anthony's ability to maintain mobility in his next 15 pounds represents a key that will determine whether he stays in center field, though the safest bet would be an eventual move to right field. Still, his bat projects well in a corner, as does his arm.
  
  The Future: In a system deep in up-the-middle athletes with balanced skill sets, Anthony stands out for his middle-of-the-order potential that could slot him as a run-producer, if his mature approach as a young hitter remains intact as he moves up and fills out. He most likely will become a power-hitting corner down the road, though the Red Sox won't rush him off center field. Anthony will open 2023 in Low-A Salem, with the possibility of a 2025 or 2026 big league ETA.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  
  August Update: Hailing from the same Southern Florida powerhouse that also produced Anthony Rizzo, Jesus Luzardo and, more recently, Coby Mayo, Anthony is the latest top prospect to come out of the program and he brings a powerful lefthanded bat with him. Listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Anthony looks the part of a developing young slugger with wide shoulders and present strength that shows up in the form of massive, 400-plus foot home runs. His raw power is easily plus, and when he catches a pitch on the barrel, there are few players in the class who can send a baseball as far as he can. However, Anthony struggled with swing-and-miss issues over the showcase circuit, which raised questions about his pure hitting ability. He made more contact this spring as the three-hole hitter for one of the best high school teams in the country, and he led all hitters with seven hits at USA Baseball&#39s National High School Invitational. A center fielder now, Anthony likely moves to a corner outfield position in the future, but he moves well underway and is a savvy and aggressive baserunner currently. He signed with the Red Sox for $2,500,000 after being selected with the 79th overall pick.