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Physical Description: Tall,
projectable frame. Looks the part. Has the frame to support
added muscle as he physically matures.
Hit:
Starts open with his hands high. Uses an abbreviated leg kick
that he gets down early. Good separation in his swing. Smooth,
uppercut bat path with a two-hand finish. Good bat speed, makes
very hard contact. Utilizes his lower half efficiently and
really rotates through the hips. Hits velocity well, but has
struggled with breaking balls at times. Some teams have thrown
him nothing but breaking balls and he has shown swing-and-miss.
Otherwise has shown a very strong feel for contact. Advanced
approach for his age. Very patient and sees a lot of pitches in
every at-bat. Makes consistent contact in the zone and rarely
expands on pitches out of the zone. Needs to show more
consistent contact ability against left-handed pitchers.
Potential average hit tool.
Power:
Plus-to-better raw power. Very impressive raw power. Has a swing
designed to drive the ball with loft and backspin and has shown
the ability to hit the ball 400-plus feet. Has shown good power
to all fields. Plus power potential.
Run:
Average speed. Likely to lose speed as he physically matures.
Defense: Red Sox believe he can stick in
center field long-term, but others believe he ends up in a
corner. Strong defensive instincts. Has played a strong center
field so far, showing good reads off the bat and nice paths to
the ball. Makes plays that a lot of center fielders cannot make.
Ability to stay in center will depend on whether he can retain
his athleticism as he matures. Potential above-average defensive
profile.
Arm: Above-average arm
strength. |
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Career
Notes: Attended the same high school as Anthony
Rizzo, Jesus Luzardo and Coby Mayo. Was committed to Ole Miss
before signing. Named Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior
and won back-to-back state titles to end his high school career.
Received the largest bonus in the Red Sox 2022 draft class. Was
promoted very aggressively in 2023, advancing to Double-A in his
first pro season. Promotion from Salem in June 2023 came despite
relatively poor traditional statistics, but extremely impressive
underlying metrics such as his hard-hit rate, contact rate, and
swing decisions. Had a meteoric rise in 2023 that led to his
being ranked as a consensus top 25 prospect in the game.
Ascended to the top ranking in the SoxProspects.com rankings in
November 2023. Participated in the Red Sox Rookie Development
Program in January 2024.
Summation:
Potential above-average regular. Ceiling of a regular all-star.
Key to reaching his potential will be showing he can
consistently make contact against advanced pitching, especially
left-handers, and continuing to show he can stick in center
field. How his hit tool develops will determine how much of his
power potential actualizes. His power is a carrying tool and is
very impressive for his age. Showed he was much more advanced at
the plate than anticipated in 2023. Exciting prospect with one
of the highest ceilings in the system.
Links
Red Sox select Roman Anthony with second-round compensation pick (7.17.22)
Countdown to Spring Training (3.9.2023)
Spring Training
Video (3.19.2023)
Spring Training
BP Video (3.22.2023) |
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