{"id":30098,"date":"2025-03-03T02:30:47","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T02:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30098"},"modified":"2025-03-03T02:30:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T02:30:47","slug":"ice-cold-confidence-red-sox-top-prospect-shuts-down-doubts-about-his-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30098","title":{"rendered":"ICE-COLD CONFIDENCE: Red Sox Top Prospect Shuts Down Doubts About His Defense!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Roman-Anthony.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Roman-Anthony.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Roman-Anthony.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Roman-Anthony.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-dom-ready-time=\"863\" data-img-load-time=\"1095\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Boston\u00a0Red Sox\u00a0outfielder\u00a0Roman Anthony\u00a0does not shy away from criticism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>As\u00a0one of the top prospects in Major League Baseball, Anthony, who\u00a0was selected by Boston with the 79th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, knows there will be plenty of hot moments under the spotlight playing for a franchise with such a rabid fanbase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they (the Red Sox) do a pretty good job here of kinda letting us know pretty early and taking us through everything and teaching us about what goes on in Boston,\u201d Anthony\u00a0said to MassLive on March 1. \u201cBut I think that\u2019s what makes it such a fun place to play \u2014 is that people care so much and that people are constantly talking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Besides, Anthony said such talk always provides him with extra motivation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know at least for myself, I love proving people wrong,\u201d he said in the MassLive report. \u201cI love feeding off of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So even if the 20-year-old Anthony had heard the recent rumblings over his defensive skills on a Boston sports radio show, he wouldn\u2019t have given them too much weight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love the fact that Boston fans are always, even regardless of where your team is at or the record, they\u2019re always passionate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2>Boston Sports Radio Co-Host Goes Viral Questioning Roman Anthony\u2019s Defensive Skills<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There are few who doubt\u00a0that Anthony\u2019s bat will play at the Major League level, and his spring numbers have done little to change that perception.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Anthony has posted a slash line<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0of .333\/.500\/.917 through five games, with one double in four hits, three runs scored and four RBI.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>However, a February 27 clip of\u00a0<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tony Massarotti \u2014 a former sportswriter for the Boston Herald and The Boston Globe who co-hosts a sports talk radio show on 98.5 The Sports Hub \u2014 went viral after Massarotti suggested that Anthony may not be quite the complete talent that Red Sox fans had hoped for. Massarotti\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">told co-host Michael Felger that while \u201cscouring the internet\u201d for reports on Anthony<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, he found something just a bit disturbing.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI came across one that said Anthony \u2018should\u2019 become an above average outfielder,\u201d Massarotti said. \u201cWhat do you mean \u2018should?\u2019 What does \u2018should\u2019 mean? \u2018Should\u2019 tells me that he\u2019s not good, and he\u2019s gotta grow into it. This is a guy who is regarded as the No. 1 prospect in the game. How is a guy the No. 1 prospect in the game if his defense sucks? Because that\u2019s how I read that. And after watching him play the outfield, he doesn\u2019t exactly read the ball off the bat like Ken Griffey, Jr., he doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Earlier that day, Massarotti expressed similar concerns in\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">a piece he wrote for The Sports Hub<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Citing\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">a report from ESPN\u2019s Jeff Passan on February 26<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0that said Anthony \u201cis widely regarded as the best hitting prospect in the minor leagues,\u201d Massarotti noted that there was no mention of Anthony\u2019s defense, which Massarotti said was concerning, particularly given what he had seen from Anthony thus far.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWatching Anthony run, he\u2019s more lumbering than I thought and his defensive instincts seem questionable,\u201d Massarotti wrote. \u201c(Again, these are based on small samples I\u2019ve seen.) Does that mean he\u2019s a bust? No. But it means he\u2019s not perfect.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Roman Anthony\u2019s Bat Skills Will Forge His Path to MLB<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There was quick reaction to Massarotti\u2019s less-than-sterling assessment.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Robbie Hyde, who covers the Red Sox for the Foul Territory Network, took to X (formerly Twitter<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">) to refute Massarotti\u2019s outburst.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cNot one time was the word \u2018should\u2019 used in Baseball America\u2019s scouting report on Roman Anthony.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cAlso in BA\u2019s scouting report on his defense, he is far from a DH and has the range &amp; arm to be a very good corner OF.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWhat are we doing here?\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">report by Mike Cole from NESN<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0similarly dispelled any doom-and-gloom about Anthony\u2019s defensive game. Noting the propensity for sports radio to be \u201ccontrived,\u201d Cole stated that Massarotti\u2019s take was \u201cespecially confounding,\u201d given the significant number of opposing viewpoints from \u201cthe people who are experts on such matters.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIf someone like Massarotti is picking nits over what others are saying about Anthony\u2019s defense, it probably bodes well for the 20-year-old,\u201d Cole said. \u201cEven if the defense sucked, he\u2019s knocking on the big league door because of his bat, and it\u2019s hard to poke holes in that one.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A point also made by a colleague of Massarotti\u2019s at 98.5 The Sports Hub.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cBare minimum, Anthony will be an above-average left fielder,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Tyler Milliken stated on X<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cHe was expected to add muscle as he matured. Still only 20. Corner OF was always the long-term home. (Former National League MVP Christian) Yelich has been a frequent comp for a reason.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIf he never played defense again, the bat is so special people would still be drooling over him daily.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Roman Anthony Could Earn Spot on Opening Day Roster<\/h2>\n<p>As\u00a0Alex Cora told The Boston Globe, there is certainly a pathway for Anthony to break camp with the Major League roster. As Wilyer Abreu continues to work his way back from a gastrointestinal illness, it is possible that he would open the season on the 10-day injured list, leaving a spot that Anthony could fill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of stuff going on here roster-wise that, we have to make decisions based on what we want to do,\u201d Cora said. \u201cVersatility comes into play. I think (Abreu\u2019s uncertain health) could open the door for others. But the door was (already) open for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_9_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad  adthrive-content adthrive-content-9\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty Boston\u00a0Red Sox\u00a0outfielder\u00a0Roman Anthony\u00a0does not shy away from criticism. As\u00a0one of the top prospects in Major League Baseball, Anthony, who\u00a0was selected by Boston with the 79th pick&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>ICE-COLD CONFIDENCE: Red Sox Top Prospect Shuts Down Doubts About His Defense! - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=30098\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ICE-COLD CONFIDENCE: Red Sox Top Prospect Shuts Down Doubts About His Defense! - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getty Boston\u00a0Red Sox\u00a0outfielder\u00a0Roman Anthony\u00a0does not shy away from criticism. 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