Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Trio of top Red Sox prospects invited to spring training
Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer will get a chance to make an impression at the big league level.
Red Sox inviting top prospects to spring training: When the Red Sox begin spring training (the first full team workout is scheduled for Feb. 17), the list of players in attendance will include a few notable prospects.
As Boston officially revealed on Tuesday, Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer will all be in Fort Myers with the major league team as it begins its preparations for the 2025 season. All three are highly-ranked prospects.
Anthony, 20, is currently Baseball America’s No. 2 prospect. Campbell, 22, had a breakout season in the minors in 2024 and is now the fourth-ranked prospect in baseball. Mayer, 22, is ranked 15th by Baseball America.
Advertisement:
All three have immense potential. Anthony, an outfielder, produced a slash line of 291/.396/.498 with 18 home runs at multiple levels of Boston’s minor league system a season ago. His year culminated with a .344 average in 35 games at Triple-A Worcester.
“He’s got a chance to be a 30-homer, high-average, high-OBP guy in right field, maybe with plus defense there, which is a ‘best player in the league’ profile,” noted Keith Law of The Athletic in a recent ranking of the league’s best prospects.
Campbell, originally compensatory fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft, has ascended the rankings due to a tremendous 2024 season.
Advertisement:
Across three levels of the Red Sox system, he smashed a .330 average with a .438 on-base percentage and a .997 OPS (on top of the 24 bases he also stole). He was awarded the MiLB Hitting Prospect of the Year.
Per MLB analyst Keegan Matheson, Campebell’s versatility — he played both in the infield and outfield last year — could lead to his call-up coming sooner than his fellow prospects.
Mayer, a shortstop, was the highest-drafted of the group as Boston’s first-round pick (fourth overall) in the 2021 draft.
Though he’s battled injuries that have limited his last two seasons, Mayer produced his most consistent season in 2024, batting .307 with an .850 OPS in 91 games for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.
Exactly where the trio could fit in the current Red Sox major league roster remains to be seen. All three outfield spots are nominally held by Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela, with several infield spots accounted for as well.
Still, the almost inevitable injury factor will test Boston’s depth at some point in 2025. And when that happens, the deep bench of Red Sox prospects could get their debut moment. In the meantime, spring training awaits.
Trivia: Who is the most recent Red Sox player to win American League Rookie of the Year?
Advertisement:
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He won A.L. MVP the following season.
Scores and schedules:
The Bruins lost to the Sabres by a lopsided 7-2 scoreline on Tuesday night. The two teams were tied 1-1 after the first period, but Boston proceeded to lose the ensuing two periods by a five-goal margin. Tomorrow, the Bruins will be back at TD Garden to play the Jets at 7 p.m.
The Celtics host the Bulls tonight at 7:30 p.m.
And the Boston Fleet will face the New York Sirens at the Tsongas Center on Friday at 7 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- Two Buffalo Sabres players score hat tricks in 7-2 win over the Bruins
- With another ugly loss, Bruins continue to make it hard to take them seriously
- Which ex-Patriots are playing in Super Bowl LIX?
- Bill Belichick thinks the Lombardi Trophy should be named after this football legend
- Brian Belichick, longtime CB coach reportedly won’t be returning to the Patriots
- Patriots’ QB Drake Maye earns first Pro Bowl appearance as an alternate
- ‘This kid must be nasty’: Blake Griffin recalls his first impression of a teenage Payton Pritchard
- Revolution announce signing of Israeli right back Ilay Feingold
- ‘This is what we had envisioned for TGL’: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy starred in Boston Common debut
Non-Bruins hockey highlight interlude: Though the Bruins were thoroughly routed by the Sabres on Tuesday night, other NHL games generated a couple of noteworthy goals. First, enjoy Artturi Lehkonen scoring from a sitting position.
And for Chicago, Connor Bedard scored from what initially appeared to be a near-impossible angle.
On this day: In 1985, the Celtics won again thanks to Larry Bird’s second buzzer-beater in as many games.
Bird’s layup at the end of regulation gave Boston a 131-130 win over the Pistons.
Daily highlight: Hosts Croatia rallied from four goals down in the final five minutes to defeat Hungary 31-30 at the buzzer in the International Handball Federation World Championship quarterfinal on Tuesday. Absolute scenes in Zagreb.
MADNESS IN ZAGREB 🤯🇭🇷 Croatia with a buzzer-beater to make the semi-finals of the 2025 World Championship 🧨#CRODENNOR2025 #inspiredbyhandball @HRS_CHF pic.twitter.com/tVRVwC56sR
— International Handball Federation (@ihfhandball) January 28, 2025
Trivia answer: Dustin Pedroia
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com