The Boston Red Sox have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball over the past three months. They’ve seen a complete turnaround since dealing away polarizing star Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Boston now controls its destiny, sitting at 76-62, just a half-game back of division rival, the New York Yankees, for the top American League Wild Card spot.
There have been a lot of factors that have contributed to the Red Sox’s recent success in the standings. For one, they are getting impressive performances from two southpaws in Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Crochet almost every time they take the ball. Other pieces of the rotation have rounded out nicely, and players like Jarren Duran and Alex Bregman are taking charge on offense. Rookie Roman Anthony is a player not to overlook.
Bold Prediction Has Red Sox Star Roman Anthony as AL ROTY
The Boston Red Sox made the wise decision to call up the No.1 prospect in all of MLB on June 9, and it may be one of the smartest moves of Craig Breslow’s career. And not long after the call-up, Anthony signed an eight-year extension worth $130 million.
It would undoubtedly be a long shot if true, but in a bold predictions piece, Bleacher Report has Roman Anthony taking home American League Rookie of the Year:
“Dating back to July 4, though, Anthony has not-so-quietly triple-slashed .323/.431/.518, becoming the brightest star of a team that actually matters in the playoff chase. That latter part could be what keeps this interesting. Goodness knows the 23 percent of voters who gave Jackson Merrill a first-place vote over Paul Skenes for NL ROY last season did so in part because Merrill anchored a 93-win playoff team while Skenes dominated for a last-place club.
“And while Merrill was great from Day One in San Diego, calling up Anthony is what turned Boston’s season around. The Red Sox were three games below .500 when he made his debut, but they’ve gone 42-25 since then, good for the best winning percentage among teams not named the Milwaukee Brewers.
What Are Roman Anthony’s Odds to Win the Award?
Roman Anthony may be stopped short in his quest for AL ROTY because of the Athletics‘ Nick Kurtz, but he will certainly finish in second if he keeps up his production. As it sits now, Anthony is about a +1500 underdog to take home the illustrious award, but that is good for the second-best odds just behind Kurtz.
If Nick Kurtz hadn’t put together arguably the best month in MLB this season with his July numbers, Anthony might still have an outside shot with a strong finish. Bleacher Report points out that the Red Sox are heading to the playoffs, which should count for something.
Boston moved Anthony into the leadoff spot, and he’s delivering with two leadoff home runs in the past week and a half.
Anthony is hitting .289 with 31 RBIs and an OPS+ of 140 in 69 games. Moreover, his bWAR is also 3.0 in just under three full months as a big leaguer.
Boston Red Sox $130 Million Star Predicted to Win Illustrious Award