Rafael Devers has been displaced as the top hitter on the Red Sox by Roman Anthony, who has showcased extraordinary potential despite superficial statistics indicating otherwise. Early in the season, Anthony's performance with low-A Salem featured disappointing stats, yet scouts noted his ability to make impactful contact and produce competitive at-bats. Following his promotion, Anthony thrived in high-A Greenville, highlighting his prowess with substantial power numbers. Currently, he continues to shine in the big leagues, evidenced by impressive advanced metrics, including a high walk rate and exceptional xwOBA that indicate his true hitting capability far exceeds his stat line.
It was 2023 when Anthony first blew up on the prospect scene like a Roman candle... he hit just one homer in his 42 games here, while putting up one of those bizarre slash lines with a lower slugging percentage than on-base percentage: .278/.376/.316.
Despite the poor numbers, Anthony was the talk of the Carolina League amongst scouts and sabermatricians alike. He was absolutely pounding the ball down there, putting up competitive at-bats, finding good pitches to hit, and hitting the ball hard.
One look at his Savant page shows us that that is exactly what's happening with Anthony again this year... His .381 xwOBA would be good for 30th in all of baseball if he qualified.
His 18.4% walk rate would be tied for first in all of baseball - with Juan Freaking Soto.
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