Roman Anthony Can Absolutely Anchor the Red Sox’s Offense

As mentioned, Anthony was one of the best hitters in baseball after a rough start to his MLB career. That .931 OPS translated to a 158 wRC+ across his 248 plate appearances.

During that span, he had several clutch moments, including a game-tying double off of Robert Suarez in San Diego and a go-ahead single in extra innings against Jhoan Duran. Oh, and he homered off of National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes in late August.

It’s clear the almost 22-year-old is unfazed by pressure-packed moments, something critical to succeeding as a franchise face in a big market.

From June 26 onward, Anthony was top 20 in MLB in fWAR at 2.8. He also ranked fourth in batting average, tied for fourth in on-base percentage, and 12th in wRC+ among hitters with at least 150 plate appearances.

The Red Sox didn’t leave their 21-year-old rookie on an island during that span. Jarren Duran, Trevor Story, and Romy Gonzalez each chipped in a 125 wRC+ or better, but Anthony was clearly their best hitter.

That offense, from June 26 until Anthony’s injury on Sept. 2, ranked sixth in wRC+ and fourth in runs. There may be “pressure” on Anthony to lead the charge again in 2026, but he’s already got a track record of doing so.

A Rookie Year Every Bit as Impressive as the Numbers Say

Sometimes a player will “luck” into a very good season by overperforming their expected data. Being lucky doesn’t always mean a player should’ve been bad, but it’ll often hint at possible regression.

Not Anthony.

Outside of a 29.8% whiff rate last year, his Savant page was blood red. At least, it would’ve been had he played enough to qualify. He did outperform his expected wOBA, but by just four points. His hard-hit rate, minimum 150 batted ball events, led MLB at 60.3 percent. His barrel rate was 22nd among that same contingent.

Anthony has elite bat speed, he hits the ball hard, and he doesn’t expand the strike zone. If he’s able to elevate the ball a bit more in 2026, there’s no telling the kind of damage he’s capable of.

The World Baseball Classic Will Battle Test Him

The major downside of Anthony’s injury, outside of the obvious, was the timing of it. With the Red Sox in the thick of a pennant race, the rookie missed out on experiencing those high stakes. Moreover, he missed the postseason, which is the ultimate high-stakes scenario in sports.

While nobody is rooting for injury, Corbin Carroll’s hamate break opened the door for Anthony to play for Team USA in this year’s WBC. While he missed out on postseason baseball in 2025, he will still get a taste of it (sort of) before year two.

Not only will he experience postseason-caliber baseball in the WBC, but he’ll experience it around some of the most battle-tested athletes in the league.

He gets to share an outfield with two-time reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge. He’ll receive hitting advice from Kyle Schwarber, who’s experienced the Fenway crowd in the postseason. He gets to play for a coaching staff rife with World Series championships and several other deep postseason runs.

Though not an entirely similar situation, think back to when Duran played for Team Mexico in 2023. Even though Duran didn’t play much during the tournament, he was a completely different player upon returning.

This experience, no matter the outcome, will be great for Anthony’s development. Not just as a player, but as a young player learning to handle immense pressure.

Continuity Matters

Baseball is oftentimes lauded as an unpredictable game. However, one thing that’s certain is that most of the position player group was already in Boston in 2025.

In fact, outside of Contreras and the recently acquired Caleb Durbin, the entire projected starting nine for Boston consists of returning players. While maybe that matters less than in other sports, it still matters in baseball somewhat.

This group, albeit with Bregman, was very close in 2025. Depending on who you asked after the camera panned to the dugout, you could argue too close. But baseball has by far the longest season in professional sports; liking and knowing the guys around you is massive. Anthony may be too talented for that to be visible through him, but his skills can elevate the guys around him.

The Red Sox don’t need to have a top offense in baseball to win games. They have one of the best pitching staffs in the league with a defensive unit on the rise. If they have to win games 4-2 all year, there’s still very much a pathway to 90-plus wins for them.

That said, there’s more talent in this lineup than what’s being let on. Projection models don’t love the Red Sox offense, especially from a power standpoint, but this is a group capable of winning a lot of games, especially at Fenway Park.

What is certain, however, is that the least of this organization’s concerns should be whether their 22-year-old outfielder can handle the pressure.