Aug 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (19) stands in the dugout before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

Red Sox OF Roman Anthony Lands Unlikely Bold Prediction

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 7:00 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox have one of the very best rookies in Major League Baseball in Roman Anthony.

Anthony has played in just 66 games and is slashing .291/.401/.464 with seven home runs, 29 RBIs, four stolen bases, 18 doubles, one triple, and 46 runs scored. Anthony has been phenomenal. He's already is at 2.9 wins above replacement and has been solid defensively as well since his promotion.

Simply put, Anthony does it all. He's a budding superstar and was rewarded with a long-term contract extension already from Boston.

It's hard to truly characterize how well Anthony has adjusted to the big league game in a small time. He looks like a 10-year veteran out there each night. He has been so good that Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller "bold prediction" for the American League East is that Anthony will win the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

Could Roman Anthony surprise the baseball world?

"And at this point, (Nick Kurtz) is a near-foregone conclusion to win it," Miller said. "When Yordan Alvarez won unanimously in 2019, he triple-slashed .313/.412/.655 with 27 home runs in 87 games played. Well, in Kurtz's first 87 games in the majors, he triple-slashed .315/.404/.650 with 26 home runs—and should end up playing around 120 games by season's end. He is listed at -10000, per Vegas Insider, with Anthony at +1800 as the only player left with a remotely realistic shot at catching him...

"That latter part could be what keeps this interesting. Goodness knows the 23 percent of voters who gave Jackson Merrill a first-place vote over Paul Skenes for NL ROY last season did so in part because Merrill anchored a 93-win playoff team while Skenes dominated for a last-place club. And while Merrill was great from Day One in San Diego, calling up Anthony is what turned Boston's season around. The Red Sox were three games below .500 when he made his debut, but they've gone 42-25 since then, good for the best winning percentage among teams not named the Milwaukee Brewers. If Anthony continues to thrive and they manage to overtake Toronto to win the AL East, got to like his chances for ROY."

It's a fun idea to think about Anthony's chances in the AL Rookie of the Year race, but unfortunately, this isn't very realistic at this point. Kurtz has played 93 games and is slashing .309/.401/.634 with 27 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 23 doubles. Anthony is phenomenal and looks like he's going to be the best out of this rookie class, but even he can't make up for the lack of games played.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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