Former Red Sox fan favorite remembers what its like to be in Roman Anthony’s shoes
Xander Bogaerts doesn't know Roman Anthony, but he can relate to him.
BOSTON — All Xander Bogaerts knows about Roman Anthony comes from watching him on television or hearing about him from people he knows around baseball. The former Red Sox phenom has never met the current one. But Bogaerts, now 33 in his fourth season with the San Diego Padres, has a better understanding of what it’s like to be in Anthony’s shoes.
Like Anthony, he was a top 5 prospect. Baseball America had each of them No. 2 going into their call-up years.
Both debuted in the middle pennant races with high expectations from Boston’s demanding fan base. The rise of Roman Anthony: Inside Red Sox phenom’s climb toward superstardom There is one notable difference. “He came up and got an extension right away.
I can’t relate to that,” Bogaerts said. That line got a laugh from the Boston media talking to him in the visitors dugout. Bogaerts signed with the Padres after negotiations on an extension famously broke down with Boston between the 2022-23 seasons.