Xander Bogaerts praises Red Sox rookie Roman Anthony: ‘He’s the real deal’

Red Sox

“You kidding me? Who the hell is doing that at 21? ”

Xander Bogaerts is now focusing on pushing the San Diego Padres over the hump as a top World Series contender.

But, the longtime Red Sox shortstop and 2018 World Series champion is the latest in a long line of big-leaguers who have become smitten with Boston rookie standout Roman Anthony this season. 

“You hear a lot about him, like ‘He’s so mature’ and stuff like that. That’s a lot of credit to him, for sure,” Bogaerts said of Anthony in a conversation with the Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr. “Roman’s really good, man. He’s really good. He’s the real deal.”

Anthony, who turned 21 years old on May 13, has been as advertised since joining Boston in June. 

Entering Monday’s game against the Astros, Anthony is batting .282 with two home runs, 16 doubles, and 20 RBI over 51 games. 

For Bogaerts, the most impressive aspect of Anthony’s game so far has been his refined plate discipline. Anthony is currently sporting a .395 on-base percentage with Boston. 

“I’m gonna be honest, what he’s doing at 21, if I was thrown out there to play every day I don’t think I would have been playing that good,” Bogaerts told Starr. “I mean, my plate discipline, it was alright, still young, swinging at a lot of stuff. He looks more polished. 

“He’s bigger, he’s stronger. I did not expect him to be — this is what you expect of him later on, two, three years from now. But right out the gate, he’s different.“At one point, a .400 on-base percentage. You kidding me? Who the hell is doing that at 21? ”

While Anthony and Bogaerts did not overlap during Bogaerts’ 10-year run in Boston from 2013-22, Anthony wanted to meet with the four-time All-Star during the Red Sox’s three-game set in San Diego. 

For Anthony, there’s plenty of ties between both Bogaerts and his own experience in Boston, given that both players were once blue-chip prospects who have found immediate success in the big leagues. 

“He’s a guy I’ve watched have an amazing career, and continues to just kill it,” Anthony told Starr. “He was a big impact in [Boston] for a very good chunk of time, so it will be exciting to hopefully go and [talk] with him and kind of relate to him in a sense.

“It’s been fun in the first two months [of my career] to just look at guys like him, guys that I grew up watching and be able to kind of connect with them on the field and talk with them and relate,” Anthony added.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.