Roman Anthony Sees ‘Electric’ Red Sox Prospect Rising In Farm System

Highly touted prospect Roman Anthony had company during his stellar rise through the Boston Red Sox farm system this season.

Wikelman Gonzalez went through a similar ascension with the 21-year-old right-hander emerging as the top starting pitching prospect for the Red Sox.

And as Anthony tore the cover off the baseball, he also got an up-close view of Gonzalez as the two were teammates at times during their stints with High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland this season.

What Gonzalez showed on the mound, especially throwing a blazing fastball that can reach the upper 90s, clearly impressed Anthony.

“He’s awesome. He’s electric,” Anthony told reporters prior to the Red Sox facing the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on Tuesday, per WEEI’s Rob Bradford. “He’s got electric stuff on the mound. He’s fun to play behind. He fills up the zone, throws a lot of strikes and his stuff plays really well. It’s just a fun guy to watch.

“Being from center field, I get to view it from right behind him and see him face all these hitters. It’s exciting. It’s exciting stuff.”

It definitely was a much more fun experience for Anthony watching Gonzalez than to step into the batter’s box against him.

Gonzalez, who was named the Red Sox’s minor league Starting Pitcher of the Year, made 25 starts across his two stops, posting a 9-4 record with a 3.96 ERA and 1.31 WHIP while holding the opposition to a .190 batting average. But the most notable statistic from Gonzalez was his ability to punch out batters, recording 168 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings.

Anthony and Gonzalez spent a month together with Greenville as Anthony earned a promotion there from Single-A Salem in mid-June. The two were separated when Gonzalez was bumped up to Double-A Portland a month later. But Anthony wasn’t too far behind, getting the same call up in early September.

They are now two of Boston’s most promising prospects and it’s not hard to envision them both one day sharing the diamond together at Fenway.