‘Roman Anthony is going to be a star.' Longtime executive J.P. Ricciardi doesn't hold back assessing Red Sox prospect

Boston Globe

29-04-2025

'Roman Anthony is going to be a star,'
Advertisement
Anthony has been destroying Triple A this year. He's hitting .313/.451/.588 with five home runs with an equal number of walks and strikeouts (a 21 percent rate for both). He's also barreled the ball at a 20 percent rate, the highest in Triple A. In short, despite the fact that he is the youngest player in Triple A (20), he's been hitting as well or better than almost any other player at the level.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Still, it's possible to perform at an elite level without necessarily being an elite prospect. But in the eyes of Ricciardi, Anthony is doing both.
Ricciardi has a history with the outfielder. As a member of the Giants' front office in 2022, he scouted Anthony multiple times during his senior season of high school, and he assessed Anthony as a first-round talent.
Advertisement
The chance to see Anthony in Triple A with NESN, and to see his physical and game development, has only elevated his view.
'He is a physical specimen. He's become so much more physical,' said Ricciardi. 'These are the things he does that I like a lot, that all good players at a high level — that become All-Stars — do: He's got great command of the strike zone. He's not afraid to hit with two strikes. He doesn't flinch against lefthanded pitching. He hits the ball hard the opposite way, which means he keeps his bat in the zone a long time, and he's going to have opposite-field power. He's got great instincts on the bases. He's got very good instincts in the outfield.
'He's just a complete player. His instincts are really, really good. When you watch a guy play a lot, you see their instincts. He has amazing instincts. He closes on balls in the outfield really well. I think he's going to stay in center field.'
It's an enticing package, one that made it difficult for Ricciardi to find directly comparable players. He suggested Anthony could be a better version of 19-year big leaguer Steve Finley (a two-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glover), or a player in the mold of five-time All-Star Paul O'Neill but with more power.
'[In] 35 years of scouting, I've seen a lot of good players. I've seen Manny Ramirez as a high school kid. I saw David Ortiz … in A-ball when he was playing in Seattle. The list goes on and on and on. I can compare a lot of guys. My Rolodex goes pretty deep,' said Ricciardi. 'When you see them, you see them, and this is what I see. He's probably [among] a handful of maybe 25 guys over a 35-year scouting career for me that I've seen that needs to be at the top of the list, and I don't think he's going to be disappointing at all.'
Advertisement
But until then, what does Anthony need to develop in order to be as ready as possible for his first opportunity? Ricciardi shook his head and chuckled as he considered the question.
'It's only a matter of time. You know when you go to supermarket and they've got the rotisserie chickens. Some need a little more than others [to cook]. He's done,' said Ricciardi. 'He's ready.'
Alex Speier can be reached at