Red Sox's Roman Anthony earns glowing praise (even from rivals) for his WBC showing

Roman Anthony has been a household name among Boston Red Sox fans since he began making waves in the minor leagues at 18 years old. His 2025 major league debut and placement as the third finalist for American League Rookie of the Year honors earned him national attention.

Now, his fame has gone international. Anthony has been one of the stars of Team USA's run to the World Baseball Classic, with seven hits, five runs, two of them home runs, and seven RBI in six games, good for a .318/.423/.591 slash line. His March 15, fourth-inning home run against Team Dominican Republic ended up being the winning run in a tense, 2-1, back-and-forth battle of a semifinal.

Anthony has earned praise from Red Sox fans and reporters around the league for his abilities on both sides of the ball, as well as his unmatched maturity for his age. Now, even rivals (current WBC teammates) are saying it.

“Roman’s a class act," New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge said (via The Boston Globe, subscription required). "Just to be 21 years old and to be doing what he’s doing on the biggest stage in baseball every single night — we see him in the cage. He’s watching Bryce. He’s asking questions. He’s watching Bobby. I think that’s such a cool thing to see, at such a young age, to ask questions, to be observant like that, and just trying to get better. So the Red Sox definitely have a good one in him.”

Aaron Judge, David Ortiz rain compliments on Red Sox's Roman Anthony for his World Baseball Classic performance

As much as Red Sox fans dislike Judge as an active Yankees legend, he's quite a mentor for Anthony on one of the biggest stages in baseball. Judge is already in the conversation as one of the best right-handed-hitters in the game, if not ever, and Anthony could learn a lot from him. The talent that Judge sees in the young outfielder is promising.

Similarly, David Ortiz, one of the best hitters in Red Sox history, credited Anthony for his performance against the DR (in a particularly hoarse voice, as Ortiz is a Dominican native). The credit comes just weeks after Ortiz called Anthony "the full package" of a big leaguer.

"You are a great athlete, a good listener, your work ethic is on another level," Ortiz said to Anthony on FOX's postgame panel, minutes before gifting him with a trademark "My Dawg" t-shirt.

After just 71 games of major league experience and despite missing the Red Sox's brief Wild Card run, Anthony is meeting the moment on an international stage, under insane pressure. Boston expects him to be a star in MLB for many seasons to come, and he's made it clear that tenure could start now, that he could break out at 21 years old.

The Red Sox are asking a lot from Anthony this coming season — he's already signed an eight-year contract extension packed with MVP-based incentives, and they didn't sign a power bat to replace Rafael Devers. If Judge and Ortiz's comments are any indication, Anthony is up for any task the 2026 season will throw at him.