Roman Anthony watches a ball during batting practice at Polar Park in Worcester, Mass., on April 24, 2025. All eyes have been on Anthony, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, this season. WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 'Roman Empire' Begins in Boston, but How Will No. 1 Prospect Fare in MLB Debut?

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Jami Leabow | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 5:43 PM ET

Future Baseball Hall of Fame member Joe Mauer graced MLB Pipeline’s first list of prospects in 2004, and 17 players in all have held that spot to open a season. Three of them were ranked No. 1 more than once.

Roman Anthony, who took over at No. 1 after the graduation off the list of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki, got the long-awaited call to the majors from Triple-A Worcester on Monday.

He in the starting lineup for the Boston Red Sox, batting fifth, as they host the Tampa Bay Rays. He will be batting fifth and playing right field, followed in the lineup by second baseman Kristian Campbell and third baseman Marcelo Mayer. Together, those three have made up one of the most-discussed trios in baseball.

Baseball's #1 prospect is here. pic.twitter.com/lgMXfl4NKY
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 9, 2025

As part of the move, the Red Sox put outfielder Wilyer Abreu on the 10-day injured list (oblique strain) and designated first baseman/outfielder Ryan Noda for assignment.

So how, given historical data, can we project Anthony to fare in his debut – whenever he makes it? It’s tough to predict just what kind of performance the 21-year-old Anthony will have as the “Roman Empire” era, as many are calling it, begins at Fenway Park.

But it’s fun to look back at the MLB debuts of some of the other highly touted prospects. The year (or years listed) for each player represents when the player was ranked preseason No. 1, followed by key stats.

2004: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins. Debut, April 5, 2004, vs Cleveland. 2-for-3, two RBIs, two walks.
2005-07: Delmon Young, Tampa Bay Rays. Debut: April 29, 2006, vs. Chicago White Sox. 2-for-3, HR, two RBIS, two runs.
2011: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels. Debut: July 8, 2011, vs. Seattle Mariners. 0-3, batting ninth.
2013: Jurickson Profar, Texas Rangers. Debut: Sept. 2, 2012, vs. Cleveland. 2-4, HR, one RBI.
2018: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels. Debut: March 29, 2018, vs. Athletics. 1-5, one strikeout, batting eighth.
2022: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals. Debut: April 7, 2022, vs. Cleveland. 1-4, one run, one RBI.

The Fenway faithful in Boston will be hoping for a strong start to the Roman Empire.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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