Roman Anthony's Early Struggles and Growth with the Red Sox: A Story of Resilience and Self-Improvement
FORT MYERS, Fla. — As Roman Anthony awaited his final approval to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, he found himself in a unique position. While he was thrilled about the opportunity, he also had to manage expectations, especially his own.
"I didn't want to jump the gun, given the insurance stuff," Anthony explained to the Herald. "So I let my parents know, like 'Hey, there's a chance this doesn't work out. So let's not get too excited.'"
This reaction from the 21-year-old, known for his even-keeled and level-headed demeanor, was not surprising. Anthony's maturity and intention have been evident in several 'dream come true' moments over the past year. However, the year ahead promised to be a challenging one.
Anthony's journey began as the No. 1 prospect in the Red Sox organization and all of baseball. Despite being too young to buy a beer, he seamlessly blended in with the proven veterans during the camp, competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. But the transition from the minors to the big leagues was not without its challenges.
"I learned a lot, learned a lot about myself, learned a lot last camp," Anthony reflected. "It's a little bit different coming into this camp. A lot of uncertainty last camp... Grinding out every day in spring and then for me, not necessarily performing as good as I wanted to."
Although he didn't make the team out of camp, Anthony's big-league debut on June 9 was followed by a remarkable eight-year, $130 million extension just two months later. However, his season was cut short by a season-ending oblique strain, which forced him to watch the Red Sox's first winning season and playoff berth since 2021 from the sidelines.
"I couldn't have asked for a more learning experience of a year," Anthony said, "but a great year at the same time. There were so many different emotions, but I just learned from all of them, and really learned how to take care of myself."
The transition to the majors presented new challenges. Anthony quickly realized that taking care of oneself in the big leagues was different from the minor leagues. In the minors, teams play six-game series, and a position player might face the same pitcher multiple times, making the preparation distinct. Struggling in his first big-league games, Anthony felt like a failure.
"The preparation side of things," Anthony explained. "I did a really good job at understanding that I sucked at it in the beginning, and learning very fast that it’s different than the minor leagues and now I need to be a whole lot better at preparing and understanding matchups, who I might face, types of runners when I’m on defense, tendencies on guys, tendencies on things like third-base coaches and opposing teams who have a tendency of sending guys or not."
"Just things like that, that I literally never thought of in the minor leagues, that I had to learn fast in the big leagues," he continued. "If I could go back, I wish I would be better at it in the minors, but I think it’s a little bit more broad... As ready as I felt, it was one of those things, I just had to experience it. I had to fail doing it in the big leagues in order for me to learn it and understand."
Anthony's performance improved significantly. He hit .114 with a .518 OPS in his first 15 games but then .329 with a .931 OPS in the remaining 56. With the help of Alex Bregman and Trevor Story, Anthony made a "big adjustment" after the Phillies series, shortening his swing to "tap into that home run power and get the ball in the air."
"Toward the end of the year I felt like I was just unlocking what I had, that the best was yet to come," Anthony said, "and I still believe that, and that’s why I’m so excited for this year."
This year, Anthony reported to spring training with a newfound understanding of preparation and adjustment. Despite the changes, he remained the same level-headed, well-spoken, family-oriented young man the Red Sox have admired for his ability to navigate pressure since his teenage years.
The Red Sox are now relying on Anthony to be an offensive leader, a role he embraces with enthusiasm. He wants to do more than just hit; he wants to excel in all aspects of the game.
"Coming up, I don’t want to say I’m expected to hit, but my profile in the minor leagues, right, everyone expects me to hit," Anthony said. "But for me, really taking pride in the defensive stuff every day, too. I really, obviously, want to be the best hitter I can be, but at the same time, I really want to take pride in my defense, and my reads, and help the team out in more ways than just hitting."
Anthony is aware of the heightened pressure on him, but he understands why. He embraces the challenge, knowing that the Red Sox fans expect nothing less than their best every day.
"This is a failing game," he said. "We’re just trying to help the team win a World Series, and anything short of that is a failure. And we understand that when we don’t win, we’re expected to win."
"I think we’re just lucky enough to be in a franchise that we are, and with the way that these fans are, how passionate they are, and having the best fan base in the world. And understanding that they’ll let you hear it."
Anthony's debut proved that accountability is crucial. He learned quickly that the fans' expectations are high, and they respect and enjoy watching him play. He embraces this pressure, knowing that he is harder on himself than anyone else could ever be.
"I hold myself to such a high standard that when I don’t perform or when things don’t go the right way, I’m already on myself enough that any outside noise doesn’t really mean much," Anthony said. "And I think that’s the biggest thing, is I expect so much out of myself that anything really short of perfection, I’m continuing to try and get there. So I think that helps a lot."
"And I don’t really pay too much attention to all the outside noise. I don’t understand how anyone could, and play this game, right? It can be very easy to get trapped in it, so for me, I just block all that out."
