Douglas alum Roman Anthony is the top South Florida player in the Red Sox organization
Roman Anthony is close to the major leagues – physically, statistically and even geographically.
Anthony, a center fielder who once starred in Broward County for Stoneman Douglas High, is the Boston Red Sox’s second-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com.
He is physically close in the sense that his power is elite. Among his 18 homers this season between Double-A and Triple-A is a 460-foot bomb that sped out of Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine.
Asked about the blast that came with a 116-mph exit velocity, Anthony told The Miami Herald in a modest way: “I don’t have much more than.”
Few people do.
Although Anthony is just 20 years old, he is also statistically close to the majors. In 84 games at Double-A Portland this year, he hit .269 with 20 doubles, three triples, 15 homers, 60 runs, 45 RBIs, 16 steals in 21 attempts and an .856 OPS.
Anthony is geographically close to the majors because – on August 9 – he was promoted to Triple-A Worcester, a city that is just 43 miles away from Boston.
Better yet, Anthony’s stats have gotten even better in Triple-A as evidenced by his .942 OPS in his first 12 games at that level.
In fact, Anthony is looking like one of the steals of the 2022 MLB Draft. He was Boston’s third pick in that draft, No. 79 overall. Officially, he was a second-round pick, given to Boston by MLB as compensation for the Red Sox losing pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez as a free agent to Detroit.
As a high school prospect committed to Ole Miss – which at that time was the reigning College World Series champs – Anthony had leverage, and he signed for $2.5 million, which was more than any Boston draftee received that year.
As a prep senior, he was named Gatorade’s Florida Player of the Year, and he led Douglas to a second straight Class 7A state championship.
“Entering his senior year, scouts were telling me that Roman had too much ‘swing and miss’,” Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald said. “I said, ‘Relax. He’s going to be in the big leagues.’ He’s the real deal.”
Fitz-Gerald is looking like a prophet, and one reason why is that Anthony has continued to grow and get stronger.
He was 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds as a senior in high school. But he is now a monster at 6-4 and 220 pounds.
Fitz-Gerald raves about Anthony’s discipline and work ethic.
“He’s regimented in what he does, whether it’s in nutrition or the weight room,” Fitz-Gerald said. “He really takes care of his body.
“Of course, he’s gifted with a lot of talent – his ability to drive the ball to the opposite field is impressive. He also has good strike-zone recognition.”
Major-league rosters can be expanded on Sunday from 26 to 28 players. That could be the opportunity Anthony needs to join the Red Sox.
However, since Anthony is not yet on the 40-man roster due to how recently he was drafted, the Red Sox may not want to promote him to the majors quite yet because it would speed up his clock toward free agency.
Anthony, though, is staying ready just in case.
“I’ve felt close to the majors since I got to Double-A, but I’m even closer now,” Anthony said.
“It seems like every day one of my teammates is getting called up. I know that I’m just a phone call away.”
If Anthony were to get promoted this year, he would join two Red Sox players who are Miami natives: first baseman Triston Casas, a 24-year-old who played for Plantation American Heritage; and utility infielder Romy Gonzalez, a 27-year-old who played for American High and the University of Miami.
In the minors, the Red Sox have three more players with Miami ties. There’s Triple-A catcher Elih Marrero, a 27-year-old Miami native who played for Coral Gables High and St. Thomas University. There’s also Triple-A pitcher Brian Van Belle, a 27-year-old who played for the Miami Hurricanes; and third baseman D’Angelo Ortiz, a 20-year-old pro rookie who played for Westminster Christian and Miami Dade College.
Romy Gonzalez was drafted by the White Sox in 2018 and then picked up on waivers by Boston this past January. The other five players mentioned above were drafted by Boston, and Willie Romay – who scouts South Florida for the Red Sox – has a lot do with those acquisitions.
Romay, a 54-year-old Miami native, was an outfielder in his playing days. He competed for Miami High and was drafted by the Mariners in the fifth round in 1988.
Although he never made it to the majors, he has been scouting for Boston for 13 years, and he earned World Series rings when the Red Sox won it all in 2013 and again in 2018.
“I love what I do,” Romay said. “Scouting is very fulfilling, especially when you see a young player that we drafted reach the majors.
“Our process as scouts starts years before a player is eligible for the draft. We get to know the player and his family.
“Then, as we get closer to the draft, cross-checkers and scouting directors come in to evaluate.”
Romay said the scouting department typically plays a large role in a championship. An example of that, Romay said, came when the Red Sox drafted infielder Santiago Espinal out of Miami Dade College in 2016.
Two years later, Espinal was traded to Toronto for Steve Pearce, who became the World Series MVP that season.
As for Anthony, Romay has high hopes.
“I started scouting Roman when he was in the 10th grade,” Romay said. “He’s a five-tool player, and his sixth tool is his character.”
Whether Anthony is a true five-tool player is open to debate. The scouting scale most commonly used is 20 to 80, with a grade of 50 being average. On that scale, MLB.com gives Anthony his highest grade of 60 for his power. He also gets a 55 “hit” grade. His other marks are all 50s – for fielding, speed and arm, and he gets an overall grade of 60.
According to MLB.com, Anthony has shortened his quick, left-handed stroke, and his swing decisions and penchant for making hard contact have translated at the higher levels.
Indeed, Anthony – Boston’s 2023 Minor League Offensive Player of the Year – has been compared to a more athletic version of former Douglas star Anthony Rizzo.
“The bottom line is that (Anthony) hits the ball extremely hard and runs like a deer,” Romay said. “It’s hard to find a talent like Roman Anthony.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 8:19 AM.