Red Sox
“His strategy is his strategy. Should you don’t throw it within the zone, he’s not going to swing more often than not.”
Roman Anthony made his anticipated big-league debut in June, with the Purple Sox outfielder arriving in Boston with loads of lofty expectations as the highest prospect in baseball.
However for all that hype, the 21-year-old rookie has seemingly exceeded expectations via his 53 video games with the Purple Sox.
How so? Placing himself in the identical firm as Ted Williams on a couple of Purple Sox information is an effective begin.
Clearly, Anthony has an extended solution to go to come back near the offensive juggernaut {that a} baseball legend like Williams was.
However Anthony’s eager eye on the plate and superior hitting strategy at such a younger age has allowed him to be put in rarefied air just a bit two months into his big-league profession.
Throughout Tuesday’s win over the Astros, Anthony was 1-for-2 on the plate with a 428-foot solo shot within the eighth inning. However he additionally labored 4 walks out of the leadoff spot for Boston — setting the desk for a Purple Sox lineup that ended up scoring 14 runs in a lopsided victory.
Anthony’s 4 walks mark the primary time a Purple Sox participant has completed that feat in a single sport since Kyle Schwarber in 2021. However at simply 21 years and 91 days, Anthony is the youngest Purple Sox hitter to additionally homer in a four-walk sport since Williams completed the feat on Sept. 20, 1939.
In truth, Anthony is the third-youngest participant in MLB historical past to homer in a four-walk sport, with solely Corridor-of-Famer Mel Ott (20 years, 124 days) submitting an analogous stat line at a youthful age. The fourth-youngest participant to publish an analogous field rating? Barry Bonds (22 years, 37 days) in 1986.
Fairly good firm.
Anthony discovered himself linked to Williams through one other stat featured throughout NESN’s broadcast Tuesday — with the rookie turning into the primary Purple Sox participant since “The Splendid Splinter” to publish 20-plus extra-base hits and 20-plus walks in his first 51 profession video games.
Coming into Wednesday’s sport in opposition to Houston (a sport the place Anthony went 0-for-4), Anthony was sporting a .406 on-base proportion via 52 video games.
In accordance with Boston’s media notes, that’s the fourth-best on-base proportion of any participant since 1950 via 52 profession video games — with solely Willie McCovey (.429), Albert Pujols (.416), and Juan Soto (.413) forward of him.
Earlier than Wednesday, Anthony sported the second-highest on-base proportion, third-highest batting common and Tenth-highest OPS within the majors. It’s a far cry from the rising pains Anthony felt at first of his MLB profession, with the teen batting simply .114 via his first 15 video games with Boston.
Regardless that the Purple Sox closed out this highway journey in opposition to San Diego and Houston with a 2-4 file, Alex Cora has been impressed with the rapid influence that Anthony has supplied in such a brief period of time.
“That swing on the homer was spectacular,” Cora stated Tuesday. “Not too many individuals go deep [at Houston’s Daikin Park] in that a part of the ballpark. Simply not getting away from — his sport plan is his sport plan.
“His strategy is his strategy. Should you don’t throw it within the zone, he’s not going to swing more often than not. … “Man, we pinch hit for him within the first sport of his profession. Who was the dumb [expletive] who did that?”
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