Roman Anthony

Anthony received a $2.5 million bonus, roughly three times the slot value, after the Red Sox selected him out of high school with the No. 79 overall pick in the 2022 draft. He came into 2023 with some deep sleeper buzz and shattered all expectations during a three-level climb from Single-A to Double-A. Anthony doesn't turn 20 until May, so the fact he has already excelled at High-A (164 wRC+) and during a brief run at Double-A (185 wRC+) is a promising indicator. The 6-foot-2 outfielder's 37.1 Hard% would be an elite mark for any minor-league hitter, yet Anthony posted it while being 2-to-5 years younger than most of the pitchers he faced. His strikeout rate spiked at High-A (30.6%) while it was below 20 percent at every other stop, but his batted-ball profile (45.3 GB%, 38.8 Pull%, 3.1 IFFB%) and power production was best at High-A. He eased hit tool concerns by hitting .333 with a 23.6 K% and 13.0 BB% over the final month. Once an above-average runner, Anthony has slowed down as he's filled out, and he only stole five bases on six attempts in 64 games at High-A and Double-A, despite getting on base 42 percent of the time. The lefty hitter was significantly better against righties (.892 OPS, 23.2 K%) than against lefties (.753 OPS, 29.3 K%), but that's just a small thing to monitor in the coming years. With a strong season, Anthony could get the call in late August while preserving his rookie eligibility for 2025. Read Past Outlooks