Red Sox’s New No. 1 Prospect? Updated Rankings Reflect Meteoric Rise

SoxProspects.com earlier this week released its end-of-season Boston Red Sox prospect rankings for 2023.

There’s a new name atop the list: Roman Anthony.

Anthony leapfrogged Marcelo Mayer to earn the No. 1 spot, an indication of the 19-year-old outfielder’s meteoric rise in his first full professional season.

SoxProspects.com had Anthony ranked No. 9 before the season.

Here’s the new top 10, as of Friday, with the Major League Baseball offseason in full swing:

1. Roman Anthony, OF
2. Marcelo Mayer, SS
3. Kyle Teel, C
4. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF/SS
5. Miguel Bleis, OF
6. Nick Yorke, 2B
7. Luis Perales, RHP
8. Wilyer Abreu, OF
9. Wikelman Gonzalez, RHP
10. Yoeilin Cespedes, SS

Anthony, a second-round pick out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.) in 2022, slashed .272/.403/.466 with 14 home runs, 64 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 106 games (491 plate appearances) across three levels last season. He started the year at Single-A Salem, progressed to High-A Greenville and finished in September with Double-A Portland.

Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, battled through a shoulder injury last season that clearly hindered his production at Greenville and Portland. Still, the changing of the guard is more a reflection of Anthony’s ascent than any regression from Mayer.

NESN.com took an in-depth look at Anthony’s potential back in February, before the season, and wondered whether a breakout was imminent. After all, Anthony, a back-to-back state champion and the Florida Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year in 2022, made a strong first impression upon joining the Red Sox organization.

The momentum clearly carried over into 2023, with Anthony again flashing the tools that made him such a desirable draft target. Anthony looks the part — a 6-foot-2, 200-pound sweet-swinging lefty — and his performance so far points to a surprisingly advanced approach in addition to his huge power.

“Anthony is someone that if you told me he was in the top five in the system by the end of the season, I could absolutely believe it. If you told me he was still right around the 10 spot, (I could believe that) too,” Ian Cundall, director of scouting for SoxProspects.com, told NESN.com before the 2023 campaign. “There’s a wide range of outcomes for how this season could go for him, but he definitely has the raw ability and the upside to take that step forward and kind of establish himself in that upper tier of the Red Sox system.”

It might be a couple of more years before Anthony debuts in Boston, especially since player development isn’t always linear. And it’s unclear whether he’ll stick in center field or eventually move to a corner-outfield position on a full-time basis.

The sky certainly appears to be the limit, though. Which isn’t shocking, based on Anthony’s early days with the franchise. But even the Red Sox probably didn’t anticipate him asserting himself so quickly, to the point where national outlets are starting to recognize Anthony as one of MLB’s top prospects.