It was supposed to be a feel-good story for the Boston Red Sox. They had their top prospect making his debut, and the vibes were immaculate. The rain, the crowd, and he in red—everything looked destined. But baseball being baseball, didn’t hand the kid a storybook script.
The 21-year-old outfielder didn’t clench a single hit in his 0-for-4 debut. He did show some flashes of promise, like his 111.2 mph liner that didn’t find grass and drawing his first big league walk. He also recorded his first RBI. So you’d think—so far, so good, right? But well, then came the fifth inning, and Anthony missed a play. The ball skipped under his glove and to the wall—a rookie making a rookie mistake!
The same crowd that gave him cheers and an ovation as he stepped in for his debut went quiet. But Alex Cora, being himself, came in full support of his debutant. “Was able to slow it down. You know, the walk, hit the ball hard twice, stayed up the middle, didn’t try to do too much. So it was a good first day.” But not everyone’s buying the timing of this call-up.
Former MLB exec David Samson has a different take, and he talked a lot about this debut in his podcast Nothing Personal, sans the filters. Samson didn’t just question Anthony’s potential; he actually doubled—no—quadrupled down on it. Samson said, “He’s good…He’s going to be a fixture in the outfield.” But what Samson didn’t get was the timing of his debut. He mentioned, at Nothing Personal, “The whole point of why I tell you that players should not be brought up this week in June…is because I’m telling you that about players who are good.”
Samson’s primary concern was service time manipulation and long-term payroll calculations. By calling Anthony up now, the Boston Red Sox might be starting the clock too soon. They potentially could lose millions down the road if Anthony qualifies for a Super Two status and reaches arbitration a year early. That’s a big price tag for what could have been just a few more weeks of patience. But for sure, Anthony’s debut was memorable, sure, a little messy, but for sure memorable. While the fans are focused on his future, Samson is worried that back office consequences might have already begun.
Boston Red Sox Rotation is falling flat big time. Is help on the way?
Now, while Roman Anthony was there living every prospect’s dream or maybe a nightmare, one cannot pretend that he is the only big storyline in the Boston Red Sox now. Because, as exciting as it is to see the future of the outfield, the real concern right now is standing 60 feet, 6 inches from the home plate—Boston’s rotation.
Right now, Garrett Crochet is no doubt that guy with a 2.35 ERA and 110 strikeouts. He has been everything the Boston Red Sox needed. But that’s it. After him, it’s a bit of a pickle. Brayan Bello is sitting at 3.96, not bad but not awesome. Hunter Dobbins is at 4.20, and then after this, it falls apart. Buehler, for example, is at 5.18, and Lucas Giolito is at 6.42—a nightmare number for pitchers. No wonder the Boston Red Sox are hovering at 32-36.
However, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, help is coming soon. “When we get to July, I think you’ll see (chief baseball officer) Craig Breslow add at least one starting pitcher.” He also mentioned that Boston can’t sit and wait, and they would need to make improvements, especially with Bello and Buehler. But here is the thing: Boston doesn’t have to be a traditional buyer at the trade deadline. Given they have Durran and Abreu, they could flip them for a young, controllable arm.
For now, there is no idea what the Boston Red Sox will bring. But help for sure is coming!
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