Roman Anthony brings winning pedigree as MLB Draft prospect
Editor’s note: The Boston Red Sox selected OF Roman Anthony with the 79th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2022 MLB Draft on July 17.
PARKLAND, Fla. (BVM) — As a high school sophomore, Roman Anthony already had plenty of options to play collegiate baseball. By this time he was already taking visits with schools in the state of Florida where he grew up, but the Anthony family wanted to see what else was out there.
One of the out-of-state options that intrigued Anthony was the baseball program at Ole Miss. The only problem was the distance. Nonetheless, the Anthonys decided to make the 14-hour drive from their Florida home to visit Oxford, Mississippi.
“We were asking ourselves, ‘What are we doing?’” Anthony said. “We were laughing just driving through the middle of nowhere with just trees around us. We were like, ‘Man, what are we doing?’”
That all changed when they finally arrived.
“It was like Disney World,” Anthony said. “It was unreal. Everything about the town and the people felt like home to me. Even my parents were like, ‘We could live here after you go to college here. We could really live here.’’
Before they made the 14–hour expedition back home, Anthony fell in love with the school so much that he went ahead and committed.
Two years later, Anthony has exploded as a highly coveted MLB Draft prospect during his time at Stoneman Douglas High School. According to Prospects Live, Anthony is the No. 52 player in this year’s class.
As a senior this past season, the center fielder hit .520 with 10 home runs, 40 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. This was enough for Anthony to be awarded the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida. He was also a big part in Stoneman Douglas’ back to back state titles along with winning national championships the last two seasons as well.
“We just try to play for each other,” Anthony said. “We’re just a bunch of friends that like to play baseball. We don’t pay much attention to what’s going on outside the lines or on social media. I think that’s why we have so much success. We don’t really get caught up in anything that doesn’t matter.”
Anthony’s infatuation with the game stemmed early on going to LoanDepot Park (previously known as Marlins Park) to see the Miami Marlins play. But unlike most 8-year-olds, Anthony studied all of the players, seeing what they did differently that got them to the major league level.
“Every kid wants to be a big leaguer,” Anthony said. “Just going to witness that firsthand and seeing those games and seeing how those guys go about their business. Seeing what they do on an everyday basis. For me, it was like, man, I want to be a professional baseball player and I’m going to do everything I can now as an 8-year-old to work really hard and try to be like these guys.”
He took this to heart and now with the MLB Draft coming up, he could be a part of a major league organization within a month’s time. But for Anthony, he is just happy that he will get to continue to play.
“To me, I just get to play baseball,” Anthony said. “I’m not really worried about anything else. It’s guaranteed that I get to play baseball whether it’s at the pro level or the college level.”
While Anthony obviously has goals of making it to the MLB and becoming a perennial All-Star, he also wants to be able to make an impact on the next generation of ball players.
“I’d like to leave a mark and inspire kids that are maybe my age right now,” Anthony said. “Just setting the example for people and younger kids. Just being a great player on and off the field is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
