Roman Anthony: Key swing adjustment and meteoric rise in the Red Sox

In his first visit of the season to Yankee Stadium, Roman Anthony, the young prospect of the Boston Red Sox, has already left his mark on the historic rivalry. The player, who just celebrated his 21st birthday, proved his worth with a two-run home run that impacted the second level of the stadium, sealing Boston’s victory with a resounding 6-3. Anthony’s ability to excel in crucial moments did not surprise his teammates. The general consensus among the Red Sox highlights his immense talent, his calm confidence, and an unusual maturity for his age.

He’s probably the most mature 21-year-old player, in baseball terms, that I’ve been around in my life.

Alex Bregman, third baseman for the Red Sox

This combination of qualities led the Red Sox to offer him an eight-year contract extension, with a guaranteed value of 130 million dollars, plus incentives that could raise the total to 230 million. With this agreement, Anthony’s projection as the next superstar of the Red Sox is consolidated, leading a promising group that includes Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. Entering Friday’s game, Anthony was batting .286 with an OPS of .852 in 59 games, primarily in right and left field. In the last month, he has established himself as the team’s leadoff hitter, with an on-base percentage of .405, exceeding the organization’s internal expectations. His statistics suggest that his success is not accidental.

One way to evaluate his performance is to look at the team’s record since he’s been here.

Craig Breslow, President of Baseball Operations

Since their debut, the Red Sox have a record of 37-24, an improvement also driven by more consistent starting pitching and Bregman’s return from the injured list. Enthusiasm has returned to Fenway Park, where the team has a record of 24-8 since June 10. Fans’ expectations are high after three seasons without playoffs.

The incredible thing is that he doesn’t seem to be 21 years old.

Pete Fatse, Red Sox batting coach

The Red Sox’s technical staff identified the need for a mechanical adjustment, but initially considered postponing it to avoid overloading the player. However, the situation changed on a Wednesday in July in Philadelphia, a day after Anthony struck out four times against Phillies left-handed pitcher Cristopher Sanchez.

In Philadelphia, he felt he was exposed a bit.

Craig Breslow

Before the last game of the series, Bregman analyzed videos of the league’s best left-handed hitters, including Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Yordan Alvarez, and Kyle Tucker. After an hour of analysis, the connection was evident: they all maintained a stance that allowed them to make more effective swing decisions. For Anthony, this involved adjusting the position of his hands in batting, moving them back to shorten the loading and launching process.

The moves he was making weren’t practical against the pitchers we faced. There was too much going on.

Roman Anthony

After practicing the adjustment in the batting cage, Anthony experienced strange sensations. However, Anthony’s confidence and willingness to improve prevailed.

You have to have guts, brother. He has guts. He has the confidence, the ability to want to be great and, as he wants to be great, he is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the next level. He was playing well at that moment and it didn’t matter.

Alex Bregman

Before the adjustment, Anthony had an OPS of .560 in 48 plate appearances against lefties. Since then, his OPS is 1.176 in 31 appearances, with a batting average of .329, three of his five home runs of the season, six doubles, and an OPS of .992. In Friday night’s game, Anthony connected on a slider from Yankees reliever Yerry De los Santos, further boosting the Red Sox’s lead. The play prompted a mass exodus of Yankees fans, who had already seen enough of Anthony in the series.