Occasionally, a baseball feat leaves us in a state of disbelief. On Saturday night, Roman Anthony did just that.
MLB's top prospect blistered a 497-foot grand slam that left Triple-A Worcester's Polar Park on a trajectory toward Boston.
It’s safe to say that many of the fans in attendance at Worcester’s 10-4 victory over Rochester were there to see the 21-year-old outfielder, particularly amid speculation that he may soon be bound for the big leagues. The grand slam, which rocketed off his bat at 115.6 mph, was worth the price of admission and then some. It marks the longest home run to be recorded by Statcast at any level this season. In fact, in the Major Leagues, only Nomar Mazara, C.J. Cron, Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich have hit longer home runs since 2015.
While this was the most jaw-dropping display of Anthony’s power, he has consistently showcased it over the first 57 games of the season, hitting 10 homers with a .290/.421/.495 slash line. In his first full season at Triple-A, he has cut down his strikeout rate (21.1%), while increasing his walk rate (18.8%) compared to last year.
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Over the past few weeks, Anthony has seen former teammates make their Major League debuts in the form of Marcelo Mayer (Boston’s No. 2 prospect) and Kyle Teel, who was traded to the White Sox in the offseason. When Anthony got the night off on Friday, it ignited the rumor mill, making it clear that many Red Sox fans think that it’s time for the Roman Empire to take over Boston. But for now, this grand slam is certainly something to dream on and marvel at.