Red Sox's No.2 prospect steals spotlight from No.1 Roman Anthony, scout says he's ready for big league

The Boston Red Sox have two of the best prospects in Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. Anthony and Mayer are posting impressive numbers at Triple-A Worcester.

The duo have been predicted to make their big league bow sometime this season. However, Mayer, Boston's No.3 prospect and nine overall in the MLB, is reportedly overshadowing baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect, Roman Anthony.

According to Red Sox journalist Rob Bradford, a scout claimed Mayer to be eclipsing Anthony and is looking ready to make the switch to the major leagues.

“Mayer has looked better lately than (Roman) Anthony. He is turning around 97 mph fastballs like they’re nothing. He’s ready now," the anonymous scout said.

Mayer was picked fourth by Boston in the 2021 MLB draft and has moved up the ranks despite injury issues in 2024 that saw him play just 77 games. While Anthony is batting .302 for Triple-A Worcester, Mayer is hitting .357 in his last 18 games.

The Red Sox could use some injection in their lineup, but it's unlikely they'll call up two prospects at the same time, as it would disrupt the established line-up in Boston. But the fans could soon witness one of Anthony or Meyer make their MLB debut.

Red Sox president excited by Roman Anthony and fellow prospect

Boston's farm system has been nurturing top talents for a while now and there seems to be a buzz around two major league-ready prospects, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy is among those excited by the rising stars.

“It’s great to have minor league players just knocking on the door and banging on the door to get up here,” Kennedy said. “It speaks to the overall organizational health and is a credit to our player development system and all of the coaches. Excited to get them up here when the time is right.”

Earlier this season, Boston selected No. 3 prospect Kristian Campbell's contract. Campbell made the team's Opening Day roster, signing an eight-year, $60 million deal.

He is batting .264 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in his rookie year and has provided impactful at-bats for Boston. Campbell is another example of the talent Res Sox's prospects possess.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash