Roman Wasn't Built in a Day

Zak Drapeau
Jun 10
3 min read

by Zak Drapeau 6/10/2025 FansOnlySportz

Debut Summary

Baseball's #1 prospect mad his highly-anticipated debut last night. Roman Anthony is a 21-year old Outfielder in the Red Sox' organization that is well-known for decent fielding in Left Field and Center but is truly known for RAKING.

Anthony's spotlighted debut in the Majors didn't go as well as he would have hoped. Not only did he commit an error in his only defensive chance of the evening, but he would go 0/4 from the plate with a walk. Even though it might look bleak, Anthony's stats may not have told the whole story.

His 2nd plate appearance would see him blast a ball 111 mph off his bat down the middle but would bounce off of pitcher Shane Baz right to the shortstop for an out. Roman's velocity off the bat was evident in the Minors and with this line drive, showed that it will continue in the Show.

In his 5th plate appearance of the night, drama took over as he had the chance to send the crowd home happy with the Red Sox down 7-5, with 1 out and men on 2nd and 3rd base. Anthony would again ground out but would drive in a crucial run in doing so for his first MLB RBI.

The game would end up continuing to 11 innings where Alex Cora would decide to pinch hit Rob Refsnyder for the kid. Refsnyder would go on to get a free pass to 1st, right before the Red Sox would record 3 straight outs and lose to the Rays by a score of 10-8.

The Hype

Anthony is the #1 prospect in MLB and has held that rank since the beginning of the season. His 6'3"-200 lb frame would not only help him hit but also in the field.

Anthony's 100% fielding percentage in 93 games in Triple-A, (35 games in 2024 and 58 games in 2025) was a showcase of his ability in the field. With 70 of his 78 games started in the field, he would make 32 in CF and 38 in LF, with only 8 starts at RF.

Anthony's hitting is what truly separates the star-in-the-making. His bat was among the absolute best in the world and his statistics showed that:

2024 AAA

35 games

.344/.463/.519

3 HR, 20 RBI

31 BB, 31 SO

2025

58 games

.288/.423/.491

10 HR, 29 RBI

51 BB, 56 SO

With incredible stat lines, good raking and great plate vision, his exit velocity was still one of his best qualities. Just 3 days ago in his second-to-last Triple A game, Anthony would hit a game-winning grand slam that was measured at 115.6 mph off his bat.

Countless stories have emerged of him hitting over 112 mph in Triple A and even harder in practice. During last night's game, Lou Merloni said, "the ball just sounds different coming off of this kid's bat."

Anthony's unreal hype and batting prowess wasn't on display last night and even though he was without his normal equipment and bat, (all of which had been sent to Lehigh Valley in anticipation of the Triple-A ball clubs next series,) Anthony still made somewhat of an impact in the game, even batting in a crucial run in the 9th inning.

Anthony's next week in the Majors will almost certainly see him sure a lot of his game up, with dozens of "first" opportunities likely to come his way with Wilyer Abreu landing on the 10-day IL. Tonight the Red Sox face off against the Rays in Game 2 of their 3-game series and Anthony is expected to bat 5th once again.