Inside The Red Sox

Roman Anthony's MLB Network Top 100 Ranking Outlines Pressure To Perform

Good luck, kid!
Jackson Roberts|
Aug 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (center) celebrates the win against the Baltimore Orioles with catcher Carlos Narvaez (left) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
Aug 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (center) celebrates the win against the Baltimore Orioles with catcher Carlos Narvaez (left) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

In this story:

Boston Red Sox

At this time last year, Boston Red Sox fans were just hoping to see Roman Anthony make his major league debut at some point in the season.

Now, he's entering a new season with the expectation of performing like one of the 41 best players in Major League Baseball.

MLB Network's yearly Top 100 players countdown is underway, and on Sunday, as the first set of players in the Top 50 came out, the 21-year-old Anthony was saddled with the No. 41 spot just 71 games into his big-league career.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Are Red Sox asking too much of Anthony?

The number 41 wasn't necessarily what stood out about Anthony's rating, all other things considered. It was the group of nine players he ranked just ahead of in the latter half of the top 50.

Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo was incredible last season. Jacob deGrom is still Jacob deGrom. George Springer just had a signature season with a signature playoff moment. Cody Bellinger once won a Most Valuable Player Award.

Then, of course, there's Rafael Devers, the former Red Sox three-time All-Star who was on the same team as Anthony for all of six games last season before getting traded to the San Francisco Giants.

Anthony won't turn 22 until May, but this cements his need to come of age extremely quickly, as if his $130 million contract didn't already do that.

But the real kicker here is that the Red Sox are already treating Anthony like a superstar, insofar as they haven't added a hitter to the roster whose stats were better than the .856 OPS he put up in his small sample. Whether he bats leadoff or second, Anthony might already be the No. 1 name opposing teams are circling when they prepare to face the Boston lineup.

That's an awful lot of pressure for any youngster, but if he can stay healthy, Anthony looks for all the world as though he can live up to the hype.

More MLB: Red Sox's Ranger Suárez Deal Even More Satisfying In Light Of Orioles News

Published
Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

Home/Boston Red Sox News