Red Sox Writer Make Case For Roman Anthony Winning AL Rookie Of The Year

Roman Anthony found his stride before the All-Star break, leading a Boston Red Sox reporter to make a bold claim about the newcomer’s inaugural campaign.

Anthony initially struggled after making his long-awaited MLB debut on June 9, but he’s recorded at least one hit in 14 of his last 15 starts. The 21-year-old is now batting .264/.371/.406 in 31 promising games to begin his career.

Despite his recent hot streak, Anthony probably arrived too late to factor into the American League Rookie of the Year race. Or maybe not.

On Monday, MassLive’s Christopher Smith argued that Anthony has a “a pretty good chance” of winning the award.

“Jacob Wilson, the favorite, has a 2.2 bWAR in 87 games. Anthony already has a 1.2 bWAR in just 31 games,” Smith noted. “He’s gonna be an everyday player the rest of the way.”

Smith responded to skepticism over his stance on Thursday.

“I know this tweet received a lot of ‘Are you nuts?’ reaction. I understand. I can be nuts,” Smith wrote. “But … Anthony has the fourth best odds (+2500) behind Jacob Wilson (+110), Cam Smith (+140) and Nick Kurtz (+350), per DraftKings. A Rookie of the Year win is not out of the question for Anthony with a big second half that results in him finishing with over a 3 WAR and a playoff berth for Boston. Anthony already has better odds than Red Sox rookie catcher Carlos Narváez (+3500).”

It won’t be easy for Anthony to catapult up the AL rookie leaderboard during the second half.

Wilson represented the Athletics in the All-Star Game with a .332 batting average, MLB’s second-highest clip behind Aaron Judge. The shortstop has shown more pop than anticipated by clubbing nine home runs.

Anthony isn’t the only neophyte making up for lost time. Promoted in late April, Kurtz didn’t hit his first home run since May 13. The first baseman has since touched them all 16 times in 41 games.

Cam Smith made the Houston Astros’ Opening Day roster, but the 2024 first-round pick batted .213 through April. He’s since hit .300.

Meanwhile, Anthony’s teammate currently has a stronger case to receive the accolade. Narváez leads all AL rookies with a 3.1 WAR after batting .271/.347/.429 with stellar defense behind the plate.

A lot can change by the end of the season, as Kristian Campbell looked like the AL Rookie of the Year front-runner after a standout April. Anthony must pick up right where he left off when the Red Sox resume play on Friday against the Chicago Cubs.