Rival player graduating from prospect status gifts Red Sox No. 1 spot in baseball

When Junior Caminero took the field in the Tampa Bay Rays' Sept. 10 game, he lost his prospect status.

His graduation pushed Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony into the spotlight as baseball's No. 1 overall prospect, according to Baseball America. The 20-year-old outfielder clocked in at No. 2 on Baseball America's latest prospect ranking, which was updated Sept. 3, and Caminero's transition to a full-blown major leaguer has moved everyone on the list up a spot, including the other Sox featured.

Anthony has become the third Red Sox in the history of Baseball America's top 100 list to hold the No. 1 spot. Andrew Benintendi held it most recently in 2017 and Daisuke Matsuzaka ranked No. 1 in 2007.

In Baseball America's previous ranking, Anthony was the No. 18 prospect in the game. He's since been promoted to Triple-A and has destroyed pitching at the next level, which rocketed him up to the second spot. He's batting .286/.379/.499 with a .878 OPS on the season and .340/.419/.530 with a .949 OPS over 25 games with Triple-A Worcester.

Roman Anthony ranks No. 1 on Baseball America's top 100 prospect list, four other Red Sox prospects in the top 25

His utter dominance in Triple-A has been one of the highlights of Anthony's breakout season, but he also won the inaugural Futures Skills Showcase at the All-Star Game. He faced off with fellow top-100 prospects in three offensive competitions and took the prize home to the Red Sox organization as his WooSox teammates Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel cheered him on.

Mayer, Teel and the other Sox prospects in the top 100 also got a boost after Caminero's graduation. Boston now has four prospects in Baseball America's top 25 — Anthony, Mayer (No. 10), Kristian Campbell (No. 24) and Teel (No. 25). Campbell made the biggest jump of all of them as he continues his breakout season. He shot up the list from No. 99 to No. 24 in weeks, and deservedly so. His .329/.439/.558 slash line and .997 OPS over 114 games have some pro scouts calling him the Sox's best prospect.

Braden Montgomery, the Red Sox's 2024 first-round draft pick, and 18-year-old infield prospect Franklin Arias also hold spots on the top 100 list — Montgomery clocks in at No. 60 and Arias at No. 98 after Caminero's status change.

Boston hasn't fared well in its playoff race this season, but the organization's future is bright. Anthony's ascension to the No. 1 overall spot will surely have Red Sox Nation more eager for his MLB debut.

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