Red Sox's Roman Anthony is in a category of his own with Mets' Juan Soto

Boston Red Sox fans are ecstatic about Roman Anthony. 

And they should be. 

MLB Pipeline's former No. 1 prospect was one of two gifted players to accomplish an impressive hitting statistic last season. Anthony proved that his value as a contributor in Boston's outfield will only continue to rise. 

"Combining strong plate discipline with a fast, efficient stroke, the 21-year-old was one of only two hitters (minimum 300 PAs) to post a hard-hit rate above 55% and a chase rate below 21%," MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan wrote Tuesday. "The other? Juan Soto. Add in his superb defense, and Anthony could be a dark-horse MVP candidate for Boston in 2026.

Those are MVP-like numbers for Anthony. 

A member of Boston's core 

Anthony signed an eight-year, $130 million extension with the Red Sox in August, keeping him around for the long haul. He showed flashes of excellence at the plate in 2025, hitting .292/.396/.463 with 29 extra base hits, including eight home runs, in 71 games. 

If he keeps this pace, Anthony and Soto will have regular matchups against one another in future All-Star games. 

The one thing Soto is yet to achieve is bringing home an MVP trophy. Can Anthony accomplish that feat before him? 

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