Boston Red Sox
Anthony has plenty of momentum on his side after impressing at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Roman Anthony is poised for a big year in 2026. Barry Chin/The Boston Globe
March 22, 2026 | 6:28 PM
2 minutes to read
Expectations are high for Roman Anthony in his first full MLB season with the Red Sox.
So much so that one baseball writer is predicting that the 21-year-old outfielder will be taking home some major hardware later this year.
The Athletic’s Eno Sarris released his top 10 bold predictions for the upcoming 2026 MLB season this week, leading off with a bold claim that Anthony will win AL MVP honors.
“The one knock on Anthony as a Boston Red Sox prospect was that he hit too many ground balls. That was definitely true at the lowest levels, but then he went to work on his swing path and hit a few more balls in the air at every level he reached,” Sarris wrote. “Still, a 50 percent ground-ball rate doesn’t seem to presage a big power hitter.
“That notwithstanding, he swings the bat really hard, and when he does put the ball in the air, it goes really far,” Sarris added. “Though the science of giving batters ‘bat path grades’ based on their swing characteristics is in its infancy, Anthony does well there.”
Anthony impressed as a rookie in 2025, playing a key role in Boston’s mid-season surge that helped the Red Sox punch their ticket back to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
A late-season oblique injury ended Anthony’s season prematurely, with the blue-chip prospect closing out his abbreviated rookie campaign with a .292 batting average, eight home runs, 32 RBI, and an .859 OPS over 71 games.
Anthony further elevated his stock as one of baseball’s top young players while representing Team USA during the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
A late addition to the roster, Anthony batted .280 with two home runs and a team-leading seven RBI across seven tournament games.
“He’s a stud. He’s so much fun to watch play,” Phillies star Bryce Harper told The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey of Anthony’s standout play during the WBC. “This game is in such a great place with young guys, with so many guys that love the game of baseball. He plays on such a big-market team in Boston. So to be able to have the success in his career this early, it’s been a lot of fun to watch.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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