Red Sox’s Roman Anthony Deemed ‘Best Minor League Hitter’ By Journeyman

Boston Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony is pounding on Fenway Park’s gates, doing everything to earn his long-awaited promotion from Triple-A Worcester and those within the organization have already taken notice.

Everyone at Polar Park has witnessed Anthony’s potential take on a life of its own, and longtime journeyman Abraham Toro can attest to that. Toro, who the Red Sox promoted from Triple-A this past weekend, too, considers Anthony a standout talent, unlike anyone he’s ever seen across his nine seasons in the minor leagues.

“I don’t say this lightly — I think he’s the best minor league hitter I’ve ever seen,” Toro said, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “I think he can be an absolute star in MLB. It just shows what he’s doing.”

The case for Anthony’s promotion has been solid since the start of the season. The 20-year-old has slashed .294/.410/.905 across 30 games this season with five home runs, five doubles, a triple and 17 RBIs. MLB Pipeline ranks Anthony as the No. 1 prospect in baseball, a spot he’s earned mostly for what scouts anticipate he’ll bring to the table at the plate.

Toro has been taken aback by Anthony’s offensive skillset, which is something that the 28-year-old has rarely seen throughout his career.

“The thing that impressed me the most is you don’t see young guys going that often for power to the opposite field,” Toro said. “And he stays there. And he’s not really trying to pull the ball. Whenever he does, it’s kind of like by accident.”

It shouldn’t be too long before Anthony becomes the next member of Boston’s farm system to get his chance to suit up for the Red Sox.

Boston has turned to its youth movement the past few seasons with homegrown players such as Jarren Duran, Triston Casas, Ceddanne Rafaela and Kristian Campbell finding their footing. Campbell made it out of spring training with an Opening Day roster spot this season and was named the American League Rookie of the Month for March and April. It’s been expected for some time now that Anthony and fellow prospect Marcelo Mayer will follow in Campbell’s footsteps this season.

The Red Sox have undergone their fair share of struggles this season, all while managing their overflow of depth and options at several positions. Boston leads all teams with 30 errors committed through 36 games and sits second in the AL East at 18-18 before opening its three-game series against the Texas Rangers.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora has already acknowledged that the organization’s slew of prospects has and will continue to force the team’s hand.

“Obviously, balance means a lot to us offensively. Like I said before, (Mayer and Anthony) are an injury away, probably, from the big leagues, but I actually think it’s the other way around, they’re going to push us to make decisions,” Cora said back in March, per The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey.

Boston selected Anthony in the second round (79th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft.