Red Sox's Roman Anthony Gives Strong Endorsement Of Future Teammate

Game does, in fact, recognize game

Worcester’s Jhostynxon Garcia beats the throw to Lehigh Valley’s Rodolfo Castro for a double in the first inning at Polar Park August 1. | Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At this time a year ago, Boston Red Sox rising star Roman Anthony was getting his first taste of Triple-A baseball.

Since then, Anthony has become the No. 1 prospect on the planet, debuted in the majors, quickly become the catalyst of Boston's offense, and signed an eight-year extension. Suffice it to say, a lot can happen in a short amount of time.

So with Anthony graduated, which young Red Sox position player should fans look forward to seeing emerge from the farm system next? The 21-year-old outfielder answered that question so we don't have to.

Roman Anthony gives strong endorsement for Jhostynxon Garcia

Worcester center fielder Jhostynxon Garcia runs the bases after hitting a first inning home run against the Durham Bulls May 23. | Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No sooner had Anthony left the Triple-A level than the Worcester Red Sox found their next fan-favorite outfielder. Only three weeks before Anthony was promoted to the majors, the WooSox called up 22-year-old Venezuelan stud Jhostynxon Garcia to take over center field duties.

Now, it's Garcia who is lighting Triple-A on fire, to the tune of a .924 OPS and 16 home runs in 61 games. He's making a case to be a late-season call-up to add some instant offense, especially if he can play some first base, which Worcester has been introducing him to in practice.

Anthony, for his part, gave his assessment of Garcia recently, and it's a fairly glowing review.

“He’s fun to watch because in today’s game it’s a lot of people just (wanting) to see homers,” Anthony told MassLive's Christopher Smith. “And I think with him, if you watch him long enough, he hits a lot of home runs, he hits a lot of doubles, he takes walks, he finds a way on, he’ll steal a bag. He’s just a fun player to watch. If you go to the ballpark, you’ll go home and you’ll know who he is.”

Nicknamed "The Password" for his hard-to-spell first name, Garcia has been one of the fastest risers in the Boston system, and MLB Pipeline now ranks him as the 78th-best prospect in all of baseball. Prospect rankings don't guarantee success, but the world is noticing Garcia's propensity for loud contact, and you can bet the Red Sox front office knows it down to the most minute detail.

Does that mean we'll see Garcia become a star in Boston, like Anthony? Not necessarily. But he's got the best chance of anyone close to the big leagues, and the fact that Anthony sees the potential for stardom can't be a bad sign.