Boston Red Sox designated hitter Roman Anthony (19) hits an RBI-double against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at Wrigley Field on July 18. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Roman Anthony, the 21-year-old Boston Red Sox outfielder who was the No. 1 prospect in baseball at the time of his promotion to the big leagues, is showcasing the tools that made him so highly touted in the first place.
Per Mike Monaco of the Red Sox broadcast team on social media:
Roman Anthony's average exit velocity: 93.8 MPH
Roman Anthony's chase rate: 18.9%
Full, extensive, exhaustive list of MLB players with an exit velo that high and a chase rate that low:
• Roman Anthony
• Juan Soto
Any time that you can join Soto on baseball leaderboards, you're doing something right, as he is one of the best hitters in the entire league. He's a former batting champion, a World Series champion and a multi-time All-Star and Silver Slugger.
As for Anthony, he's hitting .267 with two home runs, 14 RBIs and two stolen bases, while also running a .380 on-base percentage. He's also scored 20 runs and looks like a long-term solution to what the Red Sox are building.
The question will be how the trade deadline impacts him moving forward. If the Red Sox are to trade Jarren Duran, which is possible, Anthony will have a spot open to play every single day. If Duran stays, then the team will have to continue to rotate in outfielders.
Boston enters play on Monday at 54-47 and in a tie for the second/third wild card spot in the American League. They haven't been to the playoffs since the 2021 season.
They'll play the Phillies on Monday night.
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