A cool breeze danced through an open doorway in the pressbox, as I headed to my usual spot that gives me a perfect birdseye view of the field. Country music mixed with the sound of baseballs making contact with a bat combines for the background noise; as players from the Portland Sea Dogs take batting practice a few hours before suiting up to compete. Once practice is over, players begin to file into the clubhouse.
However one of Boston's top prospects, Roman Anthony, makes his way towards the dugout.
I notice the group of individuals dressed too sharply to look like an average baseball fan waiting to greet him. Some of them look to have a tight grip on a notebook and recorder, while others appear to have a crew ready to assemble lights and cameras for a small production. Their press passes bounce around in the wind, as the various reporters take turns asking Anthony a series of questions.
Since the beginning of October, Roman has been listed as the No. 1 prospect in the Red Sox farm system, after sitting in the No. 2 spot behind Marcelo Mayer. Recently, he garnered the honor of being tabbed as the No. 1 prospect in baseball by Baseball America.
He was a second round competitive balance draft pick in 2022 out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In 2023, the Florida native moved through the Low-A and High-A levels rather quickly, before finishing his first full pro season with the Double-A affiliate in Portland. To wrap up a stellar first year, he was named Offensive Player of the Year for the Red Sox minor league system.
Picking up where he left off, he dominated the majority of 2024 in a Sea Dogs uniform before getting a promotion to the Triple-A affiliate, the Worcester Red Sox, in August. There Roman continued to produce solid numbers across the board. At the end of the season, he was named Portland’s MVP for the team awards and the buzz around his stellar talent continued to trend.
To make him sound even more impressive, he just turned twenty years of age back in May and was by far the youngest player named to the roster in both Portland and Worcester.
Curiosity Might Kill the MiLB Employee
For the majority of this past season, I had the privilege of witnessing Anthony’s incredible talent night after night from the pressbox. However, I could not help but notice the abundance of reporters here for him, as well as other notable prospects in the organization. It seemed as if it almost became part of his routine every game day to not only do what he needed to perform on the field, but make time for the many reporters and production crews who flocked to Hadlock Field for an interview.
I understand that Roman and the other prospects are not at the Shohei Ohtani level of fame.
There is no paparazzi waiting outside of the clubhouse and crazy fans lining up before the crack of dawn for tickets to a game. Instead, it seems the athletes' version of that sort of chaos is the random die-hard fans that wait for autographs long after the game has concluded, and the occasional creeper who tries to follow them home.
After he was promoted to Worcester, I made the trek to Polar Park and had a quick conversation with Roman about the craziness that comes with being a popular figure to Red Sox Nation. I wanted to know more about what it means to handle everything at such a young age, and how his life may have been different if he had not taken this path in his baseball career.
It seemed like you were front and center at Red Sox Winter Weekend. What was that like being around the fans in a more intimate way for the first time?
“It was a really awesome experience and I had a blast. I did an autograph session with David Ortiz so it took some of the chaos off of me as everyone of course was excited about him. But getting to do the rookie development camp and then go over to Springfield with the big league team was great, I got to ask a lot of questions and get to know those guys more.”
There are individuals - both adults and children - that hound you whenever they can for an autograph or picture…is that ever overwhelming?
“It can get a bit crazy for sure, there are people always waiting and trying to get anything and everything signed. But I make sure to always sign for and take pictures with kids because I remember when I was their age doing the same thing to the players I looked up to. I try to keep that in perspective when signing because it is like a full circle moment.”
Did you have a specific player you idolized when you were younger?
“I really looked up to Christian Yelich when he was with Miami. That stadium was the closest ballpark to my house and we always sat along the leftfield line, and he was the left fielder at the time. He was a taller, skinnier outfielder so he always kinda reminded me of myself. He’s a player I hope to share the field with one day.”
Netflix was obviously a big part of this season, did you ever think you would ever be part of a production like this?
“Being part of a documentary for millions of people to see is not something I thought I would ever cross off my list. I am sure the big league team knew the crew was going to be there first and they were around those athletes the most. They had me do some things at spring training and then they came out to Portland and it was cool to have them around. I am excited to see how it turns out.”
So much has happened in your baseball career both on and off the field, did you ever imagine anything like this would happen, and/or even be achieved by the time you turned twenty?
It's hard to say everything I have done so far was expected or it would at least happen this fast, even after being drafted in 2022 and playing all last year. Last season it was crazy to have jumped three levels and then go to Fenway to be given an award. After all of that I went home and sat back and just thought about how that was a really fun season.”
With your all around success, do you ever feel pressure to perform to a certain level day-in and day-out?
“I try not to put too many crazy expectations on myself for the year. I never think that I have to be at a certain point or doing a certain thing at a certain time, I think it makes it much easier on myself. Really I am just trying to learn as I go and make sure that I am asking questions.”
You don’t seem to be very active on social media, but is it hard to refrain from reading what everyone is posting on social media about you?
“Yeah I have never been big into social media, plus those comments and opinions change constantly. I never really pay attention to anything anyone says or tags me in. I have my small group of friends that I care about and pay attention to.”
I know most people in their early twenties are usually working or pursuing a degree, do you ever think how life would be different if you had gone the college baseball route and experienced that first?
“I committed to Ole Miss because I visited it and liked everything about it. Going to school in Mississippi was different from anything my high school classmates did and I was out there for about a month before getting drafted. But I don’t think about it too much as what I did was the best decision for me. Plus I got to experience college football when my siblings were in school.”
The Future
I have no doubt that all eyes will once again focus on Roman as Spring Training rolls around and the excitement of baseball season heightens. If he ends up resuming play where he last stopped, Roman will most likely start the 2025 season in a Woo Sox uniform. However, predictions of how long he will be with Worcester are all across the board.
I have read many articles by writers who are convinced his combination of power and plate discipline could help him make his Major League debut before his twenty-first birthday.
Regardless of how his time table to the majors plays out, I believe Roman’s reign has only just begun.
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