While Boston Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony did not start of the inaugural Future Skills Showcase on the right foot, he made up for it in home runs.
In the first round, hitters won points for bunting to specific infield locations or hitting the ball to outfield targets, but Anthony was shut out. Then in the second round, where hitters had to line the ball to specific thirds of the outfield, he only got six points.
His fellow top Red Sox prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel were making fun of him as he walked away from the field, but he quieted them down.
In the third round, home runs were six points and Anthony saw a chance to redeem himself. On eight pitches, the 20-year-old hit six long balls to win the Skills Showcase competition, finishing with 66 points.
Four of his homers were during the first four pitches.
“I’ve seen him up in (batting practice) every single day. Once he finds, he finds it,” Mayer told reporters, per Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “Then he hit the second one, and I was like, ‘Uh-oh, he might be trouble.’ It was really fun to watch.”
His Portland Sea Dogs know that his strength is his power, so they were not shocked that he thrived during the home run portion of the competition. Through 66 games during the 2024 season, Anthony has hit 10 long balls.
“He did well with what he’s good at – hitting home runs,” Teel said.
While Mayer and Teel were joking around with Anthony to start off his day, they were his number one supporter during the home run portion.
Many videos on social media show the teammates going crazy for him in the final round.
“It wasn’t looking great, but then he put on a clinic,” Mayer said. “We went more bananas than him.”
