Roman Anthony adjusting to Triple-A after his first week with the WooSox, will get 'exposed' to all three outfield spots
Roman Anthony completed his first week in Triple-A after finally earning the promotion last Sunday.
The 20-year-old, who was the youngest Red Sox prospect to play in a Triple-A game in 46 years, went 3-for-4 with a run scored in his WooSox debut on Tuesday. He ripped a double into the gap in his first at-bat off Lehigh Valley’s Kolby Allard.
"He looked like the best player on the field," Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas said to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier after Tuesday’s game.
Following his big debut at the plate, he scuffled over the course of the week, going 0-for-15, until he faced off against Allard again on Sunday. Anthony went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, his first at Triple-A.
“The strike zone changes sometimes for the better for the hitters at this point,” WooSox manager Chad Tracy said last week to reporters. “It gets smaller, but the quality of the stuff, the experience on the mound—all those things change,” Tracy said. “You’re playing against guys, quite a few that have got big league experience and have that savvy about them.”
All of Anthony’s hits last week came off of Allard, who was touched for seven earned runs off 13 hits in nine innings against the WooSox.
Tracy told the media last week, "I told all three of the kids, this is finishing school now." “You’re talented; you go through A-ball and Double-A, and your talent carries you. Now this is where you have to start thinking along with the pitcher, they’re going to be able to execute things that they can’t in Double A, all those little things.”
Defensively, Anthony played center field and left field in his first week. He will also see time in right field before the season closes.
“Roman is going to play a good bit of center,” Tracy said on Friday before the game. “He needs to get exposed to left, and he hasn’t been exposed a ton to right, and we’re going to do that too. You want guys to be exposed to all three (positions). It maximizes their opportunity to get on the roster in the big leagues.
“He’ll get exposed mostly to center, but we’re going to sprinkle in left and right, just to get him acclimated to that as well. He’s a good enough athlete. He hasn’t played a ton of right; it might be an adjustment, but he’s a good enough athlete, he’ll be fine. Roman himself will move around to all three.”
Anthony had a meteoric rise through the Red Sox system, following being the team’s second-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. He impressed in Portland, posting a 269/.367/.489 slash line with 15 home runs and 45 RBI for the Sea Dogs prior to his call-up.
The Florida native closes his first week in Worcester 5-for-22 (.227) with two doubles, one RBI, two walks, and four strikeouts while posting .610 OPS.
