March 18, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Notes from the Field: Scouting the Hitters in the Spring Showcase Games
- There were several incredible moments in Thursday's Breakout game, but none stood out more than Roman Anthony's home run. In his third at-bat, Anthony went up against Rays pitching prospect Santiago Suarez (ranked seventh overall in the strong Tampa system by Baseball America and ninth overall by MLB Pipeline). After a couple of takes, Anthony got a 96.7 mph fastball up and on the inner half of the zone and absolutely demolished it, sending it 435 feet out to right field (a number that seems conservative, as both me and Chris thought it completely left the ballpark) with an exit velocity of 111 mph. The ease with which Anthony accesses his power is remarkable, and the way he fired his hips and was able to clear that fastball out were remarkable. He is the consensus top prospect in baseball (taking Roki Sasaki out of the equation) and this swing showed why.
In his other two at bats, Anthony flew out to center and popped out to short. On the fly out, Anthony fell behind in the count against right-hander Jackson Baumeister (another top 15 Rays prospect for both BA and MLB) after swinging through a fastball, but battled back and put together a quality at-bat. Baumeister eventually made a mistake, leaving a fastball elevated on the outer half, but Anthony was just under it, hitting a big-league fly ball to center that was easily tracked down. In his second at-bat, Anthony got ahead but ended up popping out to short on a fastball. On defense, Anthony made all the routine plays, but did have some trouble coming in on a line drive. He got his glove on it after a dive but was unable to make the play after getting a late jump. Talking to scouts who have seen him this spring, there are mixed opinions on his future defensive home. Some think he could stick in center for now, while others see him as a pure corner guy, albeit one who could be a solid defender out there.
- Like Anthony, who played in Friday's MLB game in Jupiter, Florida against the Marlins so he could play close to his home (and hit another home run), Kristian Campbell (pictured, left) only played in Thursday's game, but he made the most of it by providing the first highlight of the game with a home run off 19-year-old right-hander Trevor Harrison (who BA has as the top pitcher in the Rays system). After taking the first pitch, Campbell got a 96-mph fastball up and away and waited back before exploding through the ball with his hands for a line drive that got out very quickly to right-center. This was the kind of swing we saw from Campbell all last year when he was at his best, staying short and direct through the ball. He has legit all-fields power, and to be able to drive that pitch out to one of the deepest parts of the ballpark was very impressive.
Defensively, Campbell did look a little rough at second. He made an error ranging to his right that eventually led to two unearned runs, and he had a turn on a double play ball that was slow and kept the turn from being made. While he is a very good athlete, Campbell's actions there are not the most fluid, nor is he the most instinctual player. That is understandable given that he only played 36 games (out of 115 for the season) at the position last year and only got one season of games in college after redshirting as a freshman. Given the acumen and ability to make adjustments he has snow, I think he will eventually develop into a solid defender there, but he definitely needs more reps and experience there to develop, especially when adjusting to the speed of the game against high-end talent.
- Marcelo Mayer (pictured, right) was the only member of the Big Three to play in both games and carried over his strong play from major league camp with a home run in the Spring Breakout game. He looks healthy right now and it seems like everything is coming easy to him. The home run was a great example of that, as he got a 1-0, 98-mph fastball from Harrison after Campbell's home run and easily golfed it out down the right field line. When he is on, his swing is loose and easy, and this was a great example of that. He did not even look like he was swinging very hard before he connected on the pitch just above his knees on the inner half and drove it out on a line.
- So far in camp, former first-round pick Mikey Romero has looked like a different player. He looks noticeably more physical, with a more filled-out lower half and stronger upper body. Most importantly he is healthy and coming off a normal offseason. In the Sring Breakout game, Romero had a pair of singles, and he topped that on Friday with a homer. Romero's added strength was noticeable in both games. His first single on Thursday came on a slider inside that jammed him, but he was able to muscle it out to right field on a line. The homer was even more impressive, as he put a picture-perfect swing on a 94-mph fastball and drove it deep to center field at JetBlue. Romero's power started to show up last year, but it was primarily to the pull side. Seeing him drive one out to the deepest part of the park and over a high wall was eye-opening.
- 19-year-old Yoeilin Cespedes (pictured, left) came off the bench on Thursday, going 0-for-1, then got the start on Friday, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and a strikeout. The game on Friday was a great illustration of Cespedes's potential, but also why caution is needed. Cespedes has one of the quickest bats in the system, but his swing is violent and his approach is very raw. He is easily fooled by secondary pitches and swung through at least five of them across the two games. When he did stay back, however, he showed he could drive a slider, lining a hard double down the left field line. This came on an 0-2 count after he had swung through the same pitch twice, and it showed his ability to make a nice adjustment. Continuing to improve his pitch recognition and approach will be key for him, as better pitchers will quickly recognize his aggressive tendencies. Cespedes's other double was a double in name only, as it was a routine fly out that the left fielder lost in the sun and landed a few feet to his left.
- 18-year-old Justin Gonzales was the youngest representative on the Red Sox squad both days, and while he struck out in his only at-bat on Thursday, he showed his offensive potential on Friday, going 2-for-3 with a single and a home run. Gonzales looks bigger than his listed 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, and he does not have much projection remaining in his frame. He also looks limited to either first base or the corner outfield defensively so there is a lot of pressure on his bat. Facing pitchers considerably older than him and with far more experience, he did not look out of place at all on Friday. After grounding out to short in his first at-bat, he fell behind 0-1 in his second at-bat after swinging through a breaking ball. He showed a good eye from there, taking three pitches to get ahead 3-1. He pulled the next pitch, a 91-mph fastball, past the shortstop with a hard groundball. This swing was impressive, as he showed solid barrel control and the ability to pull his hands in and still barrel up the ball, which a lot of players of his size really struggle to do. Gonzales's final at-bat was even more impressive, as he got a hanging slider belt high and did exactly what a hitter of his ability should, driving it deep and out over the Fort Myers Monster in left in a hurry, leading to a sizable audible reaction from the folks lucky enough to be remaining in the stands after two different false finishes to the game (they played the bottom of the inning despite the Red Sox being ahead - which led to Dirty Water being played on the PA - and then continued playing after the third out of the inning so the Twins pitcher could reach a designated pitch count). It was a no-doubt home run and a good reminder of the power potential he has.
Photo Credit: Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Yoeilin Cespedes by Kelly O'Connor
Ian Cundall is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter/X @IanCundall and on Bluesky @iancundall.bsky.social.