Talking to, and about, Roman Anthony
MIAMI - The world has officially been introduced to Roman Anthony.
Some didn't know the 21-year-old had these skills, hitting game-winning home runs as he headed into Team USA's World Baseball Classic title game with a 1.014 OPS in his six games. Those more familiar with Anthony's game might simply have been surprised that he boasted a rarely seen yet fairly prominent tattoo high up on his left arm, displayed as he was presented as the Red, White, and Blue's hero in its semifinal game.
"I don't show them much," Anthony told the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast with a small smile after Monday's Team USA workout.
It was clear, despite his rookie year accomplishments and status within the Red Sox 2026 blueprint, that baseball was just getting to know Anthony.
Now, maybe more than any other WBC participant, Anthony is walking out of his three weeks with a far different existence than the one he walked in with.
"It's way better than I could have expected," he said. "I mean, we all know I was here last time around at one game, and I've watched it on TV, but I think experiencing it and just the behind-the-scenes stuff, and being with the guys, and how much I've learned, and just the things that people don't see. I think it is just unbelievable. And then obviously the games, the atmosphere. It's unreal."
What most people have seen is the player who has routinely led to routine double-takes from those looking up his age (21 years, 308 days at this writing) upon every word uttered or swing taken. What some others have witnessed helps paint an even more impressive picture.
"The way he carries himself, the skill-set, obviously, everybody's seen that on display. But he's embraced the young role here," said former Cubs manager and current USA bullpen coach David Ross. "He carries the (music) speaker. The speaker's bigger than I am. He's carrying it up the stairs in Houston and we're like, 'Hey, let me help you with that.' He goes, 'Absolutely, not.' He is a gem to be around. He hangs with us. Good baseball conversations. He is s locked in with all the guys. I've been really impressed."
Ross added, "He gets it. He gets it because he loves it. He texted Goldie (Paul Goldschmidt) his morning, and Goldy is ike, 'Hey, running late for the bus.' And (Anthony) texts back, 'We're not leaving without you, Goldie.'"
"The other day, we got in about 5:30 (AM), and there were two buses, 11:30 and 12:30. And a lot of the veteran guys are on the 12:30 bus," Team USA assistant hitting coach Sean Casey said. "Roman was on the 11:30. (Aaron) Judge, he comes in the cages, and Roman is over here with me, and he goes, 'Roman, you better be on that 11:30 bus.' And Roman said, 'Hey, Judge, if there was a 7:30 bus I would be on it.'"
It has been those moments and those lessons that have stuck and will be the part of Anthony's already-promising 2026 launching pad, both for his own performance and others' perception.
In the coming days, predictions and prognostications will be made regarding the upcoming Red Sox season, many of which will stem from takes on Anthony.
What this WBC experience has done is make everyone look at things a little differently. Baseball fans. Players. And even Anthony, himself.
"Far more than anything else, it's like you get so much better just being around the best players in the world, and even if you're not asking questions, even if you're just listening and you're watching," he said. "Just watching these guys, how they do, you know, how they go about their everyday business. The way they carry themselves. The way that they handle themselves, off the field, on the field. There's a reason they're as good as they are. But when you're around it, and you get to experience it, and you're not just playing against it, you really see it first-hand, it makes you better. It makes you hold yourself accountable and hold yourself to that standard, which makes you a better player."
It will all go down as three weeks that Anthony was introduced to another level of baseball, and baseball was introduced to another level of the outfielder.
"I'm thinking to myself," Casey said, "the Red Sox kind of steal with that contract. He's a good one."