Roman Anthony continues to be a machine at the plate.
The Boston Red Sox rookie homered on Tuesday night in a rout in Houston, and he also displayed his eye with a ridiculous four walks out of the leadoff spot.
It’s that combination of skills that keeps putting Anthony in rare company when it comes to MLB history.
This stat via @JayHayKid provides some great context: Since 1947, only three players have had a higher on-base percentage than Anthony through 52 career games.
Anthony is at .406 in OBP.
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Ahead of him:
- Willie McCovey, .429
- Albert Pujols, .416
- Juan Soto, .413
It’s tough to beat a list like that. Anthony has also recently been on record lists with the likes of Mel Ott, who was maybe the first great young phenom hitter in the modern era of baseball..
The slight early scuffles at the plate upon his call-up feel like a distant memory now for Anthony. The Red Sox are relying on him as their leadoff hitter and he’s absolutely crushing the assignment.
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He came to the majors with plenty of hype, of course. He was the No. 1 prospect in the sport at the time of his promotion. So far, that ranking looks quite accurate.
No matter what Boston does with the rest of their crowded outfield, Anthony won’t be going anywhere. He recently got a $130 million contract extension to keep him around Fenway Park for a long time.
With all that in mind, this surely won’t be the last legendary group Anthony finds his name in. It’s very, very early, but he’s trending toward quite the remarkable career of his own.
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