Why Red Sox Star Prospect Is Will Middlebrooks’ Favorite Player In Organization

Sox Talk with Will Middlebrooks is a recurring content series on NESN.com. Middlebrooks, a former Red Sox player and current NESN analyst, gives his insight and opinion on pertinent Red Sox storylines throughout the season. You can read the latest stories from the series here.

Former Red Sox third baseman and 2013 World Series champion Will Middlebrooks understands a lot is riding on the development of Boston’s “Big Three” prospects.

But Middlebrooks has a justified worry about Marcelo Mayer and he believes Kyle Teel is a “defense-first” player.

As far as Middlebrooks is concerned, Roman Anthony is the complete package.

“This is the dude. This is my favorite player in the organization. It’s an easy pick,” Middlebrooks told NESN.com. “When it comes to Roman Anthony, I just feel like he’s a five-tool player. He’s not a high average guy right now — he’s like .260, .270. The pop is insane for a 20-year-old high school guy. You just don’t see guys get fast-tracked like this unless the organization knows they’re a stud.”

Anthony’s work in the minor leagues up to this point fully suggests he’s a star in the making. The outfielder, who was just a teenager a few months ago, is ranked as the second-best prospect in the Red Sox farm system and the No. 14 overall prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline.

Anthony, a 2022 second-round pick, made it through three levels of the Red Sox minor leagues last season — his first full campaign in pro ball — and after batting .269 with 15 home runs, 45 RBIs and 16 stolen bases with Double-A Portland to begin this year, the Red Sox promoted the left-handed power hitter to Triple-A Worcester last week alongside Mayer and Teel.

Being a step away from the big leagues has looked easy for Anthony, too. He’s batting .355 with one homer, five RBIs and four walks in eight games since being called up.

Anthony’s poise really shone through during his ascension into a star prospect. He looks unfazed no matter what stage he is on and even standing out when sharing it with the other top prospects in the game. Anthony showcased that when he won the inaugural MLB Futures Skills Showcase in July.

And Middlebrooks believes by next season, Anthony will put his immense talent on display in the major leagues with the Red Sox.

“I just love how he carries himself,” Middlebrooks said. “You saw how he went on the big stage when he went to Texas during the All-Star weekend and the Futures Game and all that and put on the show, hitting the balls way back. And he embraced that. You could just see a maturity about him. You could see what I loved is how his teammates embraced him and that’s important as a young guy.”