Roman Anthony, Baseball America’s top prospect, is laser-focused on the present rather than the long-term. In an interview with The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the Boston Red Sox outfielder revealed he hasn’t given much thought to a potential long-term extension.
“Honestly, for me right now, there’s one goal, and it’s to make the team,” Anthony said. “Being out here with these guys and these resources, the last thing I want is something to take my mind off that.”
Anthony, who was promoted to Triple-A Worcester last season, is part of the Red Sox’s highly touted “Big Three” alongside Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. In 35 games with the WooSox, he batted an impressive .344 with three home runs and 20 RBI. While the Red Sox have never extended a player before their MLB debut, Anthony isn’t ruling out the possibility—but he wants to earn his place the traditional way.
“I want to be a Red Sox for as long as I can, but it would have to be something that’s an absolute no-brainer for me,” Anthony told Speier. “Other than that, I’m just going to try and do it the good old-fashioned way—go out there, get better every day, and not worry about a paycheck. The minimum salary in the big leagues is a lot of damn money, and it’s a lot of damn money to play a kid’s game for a living. That’s good enough for me. If something like [a long-term deal] were to happen, it’d be a blessing. But I’m not really worried about it.”
While Red Sox manager Alex Cora hasn’t finalized the Opening Day roster, Anthony remains a long shot to make the team. With a crowded outfield, Boston has the luxury of continuing to develop their top prospect at a steady pace.
Leave a Reply