Red Sox 'Big 3' Prospects Make Case For MLB Promotion With Dazzling Spring Breakout

It's hard to get all that worked up about a baseball game on Mar. 13, let alone a minor-league showcase. But the Boston Red Sox's top prospects sure did their best to prove that notion wrong.

On Thursday night, the Red Sox's top prospects squared off against the Tampa Bay Rays' top prospects in "Spring Breakout," a showcase event for baseball's top farmhands. And the so-called "big three" prospects--outfielder Roman Anthony, utility player Kristian Campbell, and shortstop Marcelo Mayer, put on a show-stopping performance.

The fireworks started in the top of the third inning, when Campbell launched a two-run home run to right center field off Rays right-hander Trevor Harrison. Moments later, Mayer followed with a solo blast to right, giving the Red Sox a 3-0 lead.

The back-to-back blasts would have been plenty for Red Sox fans to boast about online for the evening. But in the top of the fifth, Anthony provided the exclamation point.

Anthony jumped all over a fastball from righty Santiago Suarez and sent it over the building beyond the right field wall at the Rays' spring training stadium and onto one of the back fields. Sadly, there was no batted ball data to confirm just how far over 400 feet the ball traveled.

It was an unusually exciting night by mid-March standards across Red Sox nation. But it also served as a reminder: These three are going to impact the big-league roster in 2025, perhaps sooner rather than later.

Campbell has had the best odds of the three to make the Opening Day roster all along, because he is a bit older, bats right-handed, and can play second base (two things the Red Sox desperately need). He hadn't been doing well in big-league spring training games, going 5-for-30 with 12 strikeouts, so the home run could be the start of a last-second roster push.

Meanwhile, Anthony has a better chance now than he might have at the start of camp, because right fielder Wilyer Abreu may not be ready for Opening Day as he recovers from a gastrointestinal illness. And Anthony's prodigious home run was also a reminder that the Red Sox may have to think about moving Abreu at some point if the youngster is as advertised.

Mayer won't make the team out of camp, as his back injury cost him a shot to make his Triple-A debut last season. But he's been the most consistent performer of the three during spring training and could be pushing the timeline for his debut ahead weeks at a time.

Long story short: Red Sox fans have never felt better about the results of an exhibition game. The "big three" are coming, and the only question is how soon.