Alex Cora Compares Red Sox Star To Juan Soto, With A Disclaimer
Who does Boston Red Sox rookie star Roman Anthony remind you of?
Red Sox manager Alex Cora participated in this thought exercise recently.
“Who he reminds me of, it’s hard,” Cora said, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. “I don’t want to say (Barry) Bonds, of course. Probably (Juan) Soto, without the flashiness, early on. It’s a good at-bat. He’s not going to chase. Even when he doesn’t get hits, you’re like, holy s—, that’s a good at-bat.”
In support of Cora’s comparison, Rosenthal provided some stats to illustrate Anthony’s exceedingly mature plate discipline.
“Anthony is averaging 4.25 pitches per plate appearance,” Rosenthal wrote. “His walk rate is 14.6 percent. In those categories … he would rank among the league leaders if he had enough playing time.”
Anthony has floored fans and analysts alike with his rapid ascent in Major League Baseball. Still only 58 games into his big-league career, Anthony looks like a seasoned vet in the batter’s box. Even Anthony’s teammate, three-time All-Star Alex Bregman, went as far as to label Anthony one of the best hitters in baseball recently.
While so many rookies are overeager to impress, jumping out of their cleats in the batter’s box or swinging out of their socks to try and hit the ball a mile, Anthony seems to double down on his innate composure when he steps up to the plate.
Entering the 2025 season, Boston’s organizational depth chart — factoring in its top prospects — was viewed as somewhat of a divided experience. In one regard, the Red Sox boasted a handful of proven stars ready to win now (Garrett Crochet, Bregman, Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers). On the other hand, three wildly talented prospects (Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer) were practically bursting through the minor league door; however, they were still seen as a year or so away from being major-league difference-makers.
In such a short timeframe, Anthony has bridged the gap between that divide, expediting his development beyond belief and — along with Bregman — filling the void (and then some) left by Devers in the lineup.
If and when the Red Sox compete for a title this fall, one of the major drivers of that contention will be the fact that Anthony got really good, really fast.
Rosenthal wondered aloud in his piece whether the Red Sox are regretting having waited so long to promote Anthony. It’s a fair question to ask, and while we’re at it, here’s another one.
How soon will it be before Anthony is considered Boston’s best player?