One of Chaim Bloom's top priorities upon taking over the Red Sox was to improve both the top-end talent and depth of the club's farm system. Roman Anthony might be the latest example of success in both.
Boston drafted Anthony in the 2022 MLB Draft, taking him as a second-round compensatory pick with the No. 79 selection in the draft. The Florida native had committed to Ole Miss, but the Red Sox were able to lure the outfielder away from Oxford with a $2.5 million signing bonus that greatly exceeded the slot value for that pick.
The early returns indicate that was a solid decision. Anthony played sparingly after the draft, appearing in just 20 games split between the Florida Coast League and Single-A with Salem. He began the 2023 season in Salem where he has modest production thus far, with five doubles and nine RBIs in 18 games to start the season. He has displayed solid plate discipline, walking 17 times this season and took 26 free passes in 38 career games.
Of course, scouting the box score is a fool's errand for most prospects, especially 18-year-olds who are closer to high school graduation than they are to the big leagues. However, professional talent evaluators have been impressed with the on-field product early in Anthony's career.
"Anthony's numbers might not jump off the page, but scouts who have seen him believe the ingredients are there for a potentially special player," Baseball America's Josh Norris wrote Tuesday. "He has a gorgeous swing from the left side, an outstanding knowledge of the strike zone and raw power that belies his meager slugging output this year at Low-A Salem."
Norris notes Anthony will have to start lifting the ball more to fully realize his potential, but the outfielder has "raw juice," as evidenced by an exit velocity in the 90th percentile.
That's in line with the scouting reports for the big outfielder.
"He's got big-time raw power," SoxProspects.com director of scouting Ian Cundall told NESN.com earlier this year. "There are definitely questions with the hit tool, especially with the swing and miss in his game. But I was very impressed with what I heard and the stuff I've seen from what he did (in 2022).
" … If you believe in the bat, there's definitely the power upside and enough hit tool that he doesn't need to stick in center to reach his ceiling or reach his potential."
SoxProspects currently has Anthony as their No. 9 prospect in the system, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him make a pretty quick ascent up that list if he's able to close some of the holes in his swing.
That Anthony already is generating some buzz, though, is an indication the Sox might have hit on another draft pick, as Bloom's overhaul of the system continues.
