Road to The Show™: Red Sox outfielder Anthony

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at second-ranked Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.

It’s been quite a month for Roman Anthony.

Last week, Anthony was promoted to Triple-A Worcester alongside Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel, putting the top three Red Sox prospects just one step away from Fenway Park. Anthony, who is one of just seven players aged 20 or younger to play at the Triple-A level this season, bookended his first International League series with a pair of multihit performances, registering three hits in his Worcester debut.

His promotion came on the heels of a red-hot stretch with Double-A Portland coming out of the All-Star break. During that span, Anthony batted .359 with a 1.066 OPS, 11 extra-base hits, 22 runs scored and 18 RBIs in 18 games.

The break itself wasn’t so restful for MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 overall prospect. Anthony emerged victorious in the inaugural Futures Skills Showcase, which accompanied the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Anthony was in last place entering the final round, but a pair of homers -- one that traveled 471 feet and another off the right-field foul pole -- gave him enough points to secure the victory.

The time in the spotlight seemed inevitable for the 6-foot-2, 200-pound outfielder. Anthony’s power potential is his highest-graded tool, and he’s consistently made hard contact and produced high exit velocities. He also possesses impressive speed and athleticism and has mostly patrolled center field as a pro, though he’s seen some time in the corners.

“We think he has a really good shot at sticking in center field and he's got this profile where he gets on base, he sees the ball well, but he’s also got tremendous, tremendous power potential,” Red Sox director of amateur scouting Paul Toboni told MLB.com in 2022. “And that's a pretty rare combination to find for a center fielder.”

The West Palm Beach, Florida, native had a busy amateur career on the showcase circuit and at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He participated in a number of Perfect Game events that took him all over the country, including the 2021 National Showcase at Tropicana Field and the All-American Classic at Petco Park.

But the lasting memories of Anthony’s amateur career were his 450-foot moonshot in the 2021 High School All-American Game at Coors Field and his monster senior season at Stoneman Douglas.

During his final prep season, he batted .520 with 25 extra-base hits and 40 RBIs while leading the Eagles to their second consecutive 7-A state championship and earning the title of Gatorade's Florida high school player of the year.

Anthony was selected by the Red Sox with the No. 79 pick in the 2022 Draft, a compensation-round pick the club received when lefty Eduardo Rodriguez signed with the Tigers. He was committed to the University of Mississippi but signed with the Red Sox for a $2.5 million bonus that more than doubled the slot value for the pick.

After signing, Anthony played 10 games each in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and with Single-A Salem. He batted .429 with a .961 OPS in the FCL but struggled to replicate that success in Salem, only hitting .189 with a .522 OPS.

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Anthony stayed in the Carolina League and had a slow start to the season last year. But he turned it around in May, batting .290 with an .868 OPS, eight extra-base hits and 12 RBIs.

He found consistent success following a promotion to High-A Greenville in June. Over 54 games, he batted .294/.412/.569 with 12 homers, three triples, 14 doubles, 41 runs scored and 38 RBIs.

Although he only spent a short time in Greenville, Anthony was named an All-Star on the High-A circuit. During his time at the level, he led the South Atlantic League in OPS (.981) while ranking second in slugging and extra-base hits.

His tremendous season did not stop in Greenville. He was bumped up to Portland for the final 10 games of the regular season and continued to hit the ball well, recording 12 hits in 35 at-bats (.343), including a homer and four doubles.

Anthony got his first taste of big league camp this spring. He went 2-for-6 over three Grapefruit League games and recorded a pair of walks and a run in the Red Sox Spring Breakout Game against the Braves. He returned to Portland at the start of the season and once again struggled out of the gate before finding his bearings in May.

While the division rival Rays and Orioles may be better known for the ability to build a talented roster through homegrown talent, the Red Sox have quietly put together one of the best farm systems in baseball. MLB Pipeline listed Boston at No. 7 in their farm system rankings published last week, up from No. 14 in the preseason.

A trio like Anthony, Mayer and Teel -- expected to be joined by No. 79 overall prospect Kristian Campbell this week -- moving up the ladder together proves the Red Sox not only have the talent but also the developmental acumen to capitalize on the depth within the system.