Red Sox’s Alex Cora Offers Stance On Roman Anthony’s Defense….
Boston Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony involuntarily became the topic surrounding a bad-faith argument in spring training.
Anthony, the No. 2 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline’s rankings, is Boston’s most hyped up-and-comer. The 20-year-old jumped from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester last season, and Anthony is poised to be next in line for a call-up to the big leagues. Yet, the expectations that project Anthony to be the next big thing in Boston didn’t resonate with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Tony Massarotti.
Boston Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony
Does Boston Radio Host Have A Point About Roman Anthony’s Defense?
Feb 28, 2025
Massarotti, a co-host on the “Felger and Mazz” radio program, tore into Anthony’s hype and referred to the youngster as a “designated hitter” rather than an outfielder. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who’s been able to work with Anthony this spring, isn’t nearly as concerned with whether or not he’ll be able to contribute from the defensive side of the diamond.
“I haven’t seen him much, but he can move,” Cora said Wednesday, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “He’s putting in a lot of work with (outfield coach Kyle Hudson), but he hasn’t had too many chances, but he’s a good athlete. I think he can actually play center or left, that’s where I see him.”
The outsider criticism and clickbait-farming chit-chatter is normal for any Boston athlete, but Massarotti’s was all of that, in its laziest form. None of Anthony’s defensive metrics or on-field defects were referenced, and in fact, Massarotti admitted to having watched very little of Anthony altogether. The entire rant, founded on nothing but a lousy bias, gave Anthony a snippet of what the media landscape is like in Boston — critical, harsh, and it doesn’t always make sense.
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But with a major opportunity to make an impression at spring training before big-league rosters are finalized, Anthony has much more important challenges to conquer. He guarded every outfield position last season in the minor leagues, committing only three errors in centerfield — across 683 1/3 innings — to record a .986 fielding percentage.
Anthony caught wind of Massarotti’s assessment and took the high road, adding fuel to his already-filled motivation tank.
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“They’re always there and they hold us to a standard. And I love that,” Anthony said in response, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “I think playing in Boston, you’re playing meaningful baseball 24/7. So just taking on challenges like that is something I’m super excited to be a part of and to learn about when I’m actually there. Obviously, I haven’t been there yet, so I can’t speak on it. But it’s something that I’m excited to take on.”
The franchise already caught a glimpse of Anthony’s offensive flashes last season.
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With the bat, Anthony slashed .291/.396/.894 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs. Anthony also stole 21 bases and wasn’t fazed when much of the attention, both in Boston and Worcester, turned to the organization’s “Big Three” — Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and ex-Red Sox prospect Kyle Teel — upon their promotion to Triple-A in August.
Anthony batted .344/.463/.519 with three home runs, 12 doubles and a triple across 35 games with Worcester to cap off the campaign on a high note.
“I’m just gonna try to go in and really leave no doubt and continue to learn,” Anthony said before spring training, per WooSox play-by-play announcer Jim Cain. “I don’t think anything changes. I’m not gonna change who I am or change the way I play because of who I’m playing against or what I’m playing for. So for me, just going in there and trying to leave no doubt and trusting the front office that they’re gonna do what’s right.”
