Ranked as the top prospect in baseball right now, outfielder Roman Anthony has been making headlines for the past several weeks as it pertains to his eventual call-up to the Boston Red Sox. And over the weekend, those headlines only grew after he slugged a monstrous 497-foot grand slam in a minor league game for the Worcester Red Sox, Boston’s Triple-A affiliate. But when can Sox fans expect Anthony to get the call-up to the Bigs? And how will he fare once he gets there?
With Worcester, Anthony has kept a hot bat, slashing .288/.423/.491 with a .913 OPS. He’s also hit 10 home runs and driven in 29 runs. He’s also been strong in the outfield, playing all three positions as the season has gone on. With such impressive numbers and versatility, one would think that the No. 1-ranked prospect would already be suiting up in a Red Sox uniform by now. Unfortunately, there are some obstacles in Anthony’s way.
As of right now, Anthony isn’t listed on the Red Sox’s 40-man roster. And, to avoid any Super Two or arbitration issues, the Sox will have to add the outfield prospect to the roster and tender him a professional contract sooner rather than later. To do that, space will need to be made on the roster. To accommodate that space, left fielder Jarren Duran has reportedly been placed in the shop window.
But let’s avoid all of that drama for now and get to the juicy question at hand: How would Roman Anthony fare with the Red Sox at the professional level? We fired up MLB The Show 25, made a Franchise mode save, and simmed his first two seasons as an MLB player.
How We Did The Roman Anthony Simulation In MLB The Show 25
While I would’ve loved to start this simulation at the real-life point the MLB season is currently at, I had to start it from the beginning. But, to accommodate Anthony’s call-up, we’re trading Jarren Duran. Of all of the potential landing spots for Durran, the Philadelphia Phillies made the most sense. They need an outfielder, and are currently 2nd in the NL East, meaning they’re competing and will likely be buyers.
After I put Duran on the trading block, almost every MLB team offered up some prospects to get him. But, in keeping with some real-life storylines, I sent him to the Phillies in exchange for Justin Crawford, Aidan Miller, and TJayy Walton. After doing that, I simulated to the beginning of the regular season and called up Roman Anthony, placing him in left field.
Currently, Anthony is at a 67 overall. And to avoid meddling too much, I have lineups set to Auto, meaning manager Alex Cora will get the ultimate say in how much the top prospect plays this season.
Roman Anthony Holds His Own Through The All-Star Break
Upon beginning the regular season, I simulated until the beginning of the All-Star Break and checked in on Anthony’s progress. Thus far, he hasn’t been tearing it up, but he is holding his own. In 85 games played, Anthony has hit 8 home runs and driven in 33 runs while slashing .238/.295/.411, combining for a .706 OPS. It’s a bit below average, but it’s his first 85 games in the Big Leagues. He must’ve gotten off to a really hot start as well, as his numbers thus far in January have been really poor (he’s batted .194 in 10 games during that month).
While he has been playing the field here and there, he has also been used as a DH. But I think I’m going to make an executive decision in that department and promote him to left field over Masataka Yoshida, who is not nearly as good defensively as the much more athletic Anthony.
Anthony’s Rookie Stats Are Modest, But Improvement Is Made
After a full MLB season, these were Roman Anthony’s stats as a rookie in MLB The Show 25 franchise mode:
- BA: .234
- OBP: 2.89
- SLG: .412
- OPS: .701
- HR: 16
- RBI: 57
- WAR: 0.3
Overall, it was a below-average showing for Anthony in his rookie campaign. But, not everyone’s rookie campaign is like Aaron Judge’s — some players take more time to develop. And when it comes to development, Anthony has shown signs of improvement over the season. He also won Rookie of the Year.
When it comes to every attribute category in MLB for a position player, Anthony improved. It wasn’t by much, but baseball is hard. And most players take a season or two before finally starting to show what they can be.
Roman Anthony’s Sophomore Season Was A Step Back
With his rookie year in the rearview, surely Roman Anthony’s sophomore MLB season would go better than his first, right? Unfortunately, no. Playing 137 games in total, Anthony took a bit of a step back in his second full season. He also seems to be mostly a designated hitter again, despite his good fielding attributes. Here were his numbers:
- BA: .228
- OBP: .285
- SLG: .351
- OPS: .636
- HR: 9
- RBI: 41
- WAR: -0.5
To sum it up as succinctly as I can, Anthony regressed when it came to every statistic in his second season. His .636 OPS and -0.5 WAR were especially damning, showing that he failed to have a positive impact on the team overall.
That said, he did improve when it came to all of his attributes, outside of his contact against left-handed pitching. He’s also made his way up to a 75 overall and still has an A potential grade. So maybe his future is still bright.
