Roman Anthony's Early Struggles and Growth in the Red Sox: A Story of Resilience and Self-Improvement
'You learn fast' - These words encapsulate Roman Anthony's journey in the early stages of his Red Sox career. As a rising star in baseball, Anthony faced challenges that tested his mettle and shaped his approach to the game.
FORT MYERS, Fla. - As he awaited the final approval to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, Roman Anthony's mind was on the expectations that came with such an opportunity. But he was mindful of not getting ahead of himself, understanding the importance of managing expectations, especially in the face of potential setbacks.
Despite being considered the most even-keeled and level-headed 21-year-old by his teammates, Anthony's reaction to the 'dream come true' moments of the past year was one of intention and maturity. He embraced the challenges that came his way, learning and growing with each experience.
The past year was a testing ground for Anthony in numerous ways, and he emerged with flying colors. He described it as an extraordinary year, one that defied imagination.
Anthony's journey began as the top prospect in the Red Sox organization and all of baseball, still too young to buy a beer. He seamlessly blended in with the seasoned veterans during the big-league camp, competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. However, he quickly realized the differences between the minor leagues and the majors.
'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.'
Despite not making the team out of camp, Anthony's big-league debut on June 9 was just the beginning. He signed an eight-year, $130 million extension less than two months later, but his journey was far from over. A season-ending oblique strain followed, forcing him to watch from the sidelines as the Red Sox secured their first winning season and playoff berth since 2021.
'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 revealed a new set of challenges for Anthony. He struggled in his first big-league games, feeling like a failure. The preparation required for the major leagues was vastly different from the minor leagues, and he had to quickly adapt.
'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 after making a 'big adjustment' with the help of Alex Bregman and Trevor Story. He shortened his swing to tap into his home run power and get the ball in the air. He felt he was just getting started when he suffered his oblique injury.
'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. Yet, he remained the same level-headed, well-spoken, family-oriented young man the Red Sox have come to know and admire. The pressure is on him more than ever, but he embraces it, understanding the high standards expected of him.
'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 taught him the importance of accountability. He learned quickly that the fans expect a lot from him, and they have respect for him and enjoy watching him play. They expect nothing but the best every single day.
'I learned quick it’s all about accountability,' he said. 'Coming up in my first game and making a crucial error to lose against the Rays, you learn fast. … These fans, they expect a lot out of me in a way that, they have respect for me and they really enjoy watching me play, and they expect nothing but the best every single day. For me, I wouldn’t want it any other way.'
What fans might not realize is that Anthony is harder on himself than anyone else could ever be. He sets such high standards for himself that external noise doesn't impact his performance.
'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.'
