The Arizona Fall League has announced its Fall Stars Game rosters and the Boston Red Sox have a representative. For anyone who has paid attention, the choice should come as no surprise.
Antonio Anderson was a third-round pick for the Boston Red Sox in 2023. Despite that, expectations were never super high for the Atlanta native. When he was drafted, Anderson was an extremely raw prospect. Selected a round after Nazzan Zanetello, people didn’t see him as having the same ceiling as the uber-athlete that Zanetello was.
Coming out of high school as a raw talent, it wasn’t shocking to see Anderson struggling in Single-A in 2024. His average sat at .186. However, that didn’t stop him from putting together plenty of strong plate appearances and drawing walks (69).
In 2025, Anderson figured things out and earned a promotion to High-A. He slumped there to finish the season but at least made the leap to the next level.
Former third-round pick Antonio Anderson earns Fall Stars honors in AFL
Would 2026 be another year where he solved the level he was at the previous year? By the end of April, he was hitting .098. On June 11, he held a .170/.298/.245 slash line and was getting sporadic playing time. A few injuries to the Greenville lineup led to Anderson receiving more opportunities.
Anderson finished the season slashing .273/.373/.453 with 17 doubles, four triples and nine home runs. The switch-hitting corner infielder drove in 46 runs, scored 53 and stole two bases. To put it plainly, he went bananas.
Even with the increased playing time, Anderson finished the year with just 339 plate appearances. And still only 21, the Red Sox were probably hoping to get more time for the former big investment.
That’s where the Arizona Fall League comes in. Boston sent Antonio Anderson, along with a few other prospects, to compete. Anderson took the challenge and ran with it.
As of November 4, Anderson is slashing .361/.500/.623 with five doubles, one triple and three home runs. He has 17 runs scored and is third in the league with 20 RBI. Anderson has struck out 20 times while ranking second in walks with 17. Basically, he’s picked up right where he left off to finish the regular season. Anderson’s phenomenal play has made him the lone Red Sox prospect in the Arizona Fall League to receive Fall Stars honors.
2026 felt like a potential breakout campaign for Anderson. A strong AFL performance would’ve been a nice exclamation point. Instead, he’s gone ahead and screamed it from a mountaintop. Toot your horn, Double-A.
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