MLB's top hitting prospect more than merely grand on 2-HR day
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That¡¯s why he¡¯s the top position player prospect in all of baseball.
Red-hot Roman Anthony, the No. 2 overall prospect, reasserted that status by homering twice in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader for Triple-A Worcester.
Anthony cranked a 107.9 mph, 410-foot leadoff dinger in the first inning and crushed his first career grand slam in the third while leading his club to an 8-0 victory over Rochester at Innovative Field. To boot, the WooSox pitching staff had Anthony's back, tossing a combined no-hitter over seven innings.
Anthony is finding his groove at Triple-A of late after reaching the level down the stretch last season. It marked the second two-homer game of the year for the Red Sox top prospect, capping a stretch in which he went 9-for-16 over four consecutive multihit games.
All told, Anthony is batting .283 with a 1.018 OPS through 15 games.
The Florida native has increased his production after each of his promotions. Last summer, he posted a .344/.463/.519 slash line over 35 games with Triple-A Worcester. The season before, he produced a 1.020 OPS in a 10-game cameo with Double-A Portland. His path to The Show, however, isn't so cut and dried.
The Red Sox outfield is already loaded with young talent, and the team likely won't promote Anthony until they can guarantee him regular at-bats. Nevertheless, Anthony's offensive talent is the type that leads teams to adjust their plans and he could force his way to Fenway sooner than expected if he continues to post big offensive numbers.
The second no-hitter in Worcester's history came from a trio of arms. Cooper Criswell started things off with four strikeouts in four frames, followed by two frames from Isaiah Campbell (two K's), before Jacob Webb wrapped it up with two punchouts in the final inning.
The WooSox swept the doubleheader after rallying to a 4-3 win in eight innings in the second game of the afternoon. Anthony went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored.