⚾ The future face of the Sox?

Good Morning, Boston.

😈 The Patriots are turning into elite trolls. Bringing Malcolm Butler back to Gillette Stadium as a special guest to remind the Seahawks of the Super Bowl he stole from them is the nastiest work. 10/10. No notes.

What’s on tap today:

• Jayson Tatum’s new favorite book

• Tyler O’Neill (Monster) mashes

• Rhamondre rules

Let’s get into it…

LEADING OFF

The new kid in town

Remember this name, Red Sox fans: Roman Anthony. He was just named the top minor-league prospect in baseball. He’s routinely launching pitches into the stratosphere with the Worcester Red Sox. Pretty soon, he’ll be golfing balls onto Lansdowne. Brace yourself, Cask 'n Flagon.  

He’s a potential star in the making. Two summers ago, Anthony was facing high-school pitchers at Stoneman Douglas High School, the very same one former Sox draft pick-now-Yankee Anthony Rizzo went to. Now, at just 20 years old, he’s knocking on the door of the big leagues — as the youngest Red Sox Triple-A prospect in 46 years. He’s even overtaken Marcelo Mayer, the No. 4 pick in the 2021 draft, as the organization’s top prospect and might get his first big-league at-bat before he can legally buy a beer.

Anthony won’t be long for the minor leagues.  Anthony joined Mayer and fellow star prospect Kyle Teel at Triple-A Worcester this summer and promptly started raking, batting .337 with three homers, 14 RBI, and working 16 walks in 26 games. With Double-A Portland, he slugged a home run 116 miles per hour off his bat — the hardest hit ball by any Red Sox player (MLB or minors) this year. He was just five months old when Boston won the World Series in 2004, but he’s mature beyond his years at the plate.

He’s one of many future stars in Boston’s prospect pipeline. As of now, the Red Sox have one of the best farm systems in baseball, with four top-25 prospects on Baseball America’s Top 100 list:

• Anthony (1)

• Mayer (10)

• Kristian Campbell (24)

• Teel (25)

All of them were drafted by former president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, who was fired at the end of last year. But Bloom’s work lives on — and might change the Red Sox’s fortunes.

2025 should be a much better year in Boston. With just a few weeks to go in the season, the Red Sox are a long shot to make the playoffs. But promising performances by rookies Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, the emergence of Jarren Duran, and the potential of Anthony and his fellow prospects mean the future is bright starting next year. All those years of building through the draft and not trading prospects to “win now” might finally pay off.

POLL

🤔 Do you feel better about the Sox now than you did a year ago?

BOSTON SPORTS

Quick hits & headlines

💪🏻 Tyler O’Neill keeps the Red Sox alive. Boston gave up yet another late lead on Wednesday night, but O’Neill’s walk-off, three-run shot over the Green Monster saved the day – and the Sox’s season (for now). On top of that, he’s hit five home runs in this past week alone, including two multi-homer jobs. It’s probably too late for the Red Sox to truly push their way into the playoffs, but O’Neill is helping them keep what little hope they have alive. 

🤣 Jerod Mayo is an absolute savage. Head coach? More like Roastmaster General. In the four days following the Patriots’ upset win over the Bengals, Mayo:

• Called Jacoby Brissett “the slowest Black quarterback in the league” on WEEI 

• Poked fun at Joe Cardona for being “the worst athlete on the field” while breaking down the long-snapper’s forced fumble

• Made Brissett wear Tennessee colors after the starting QB’s alma mater, NC State, lost to Mayo and backup QB Joe Milton’s Volunteers 

This might be the most fun week of Patriots football we’ve had in years.

📗 Jayson Tatum writes a kid’s book. The Celtics superstar’s new picture book “Baby Dunks-A-Lot” was reportedly inspired by Tatum’s wholesome relationship with his son, Deuce. He also said he wanted to create a story kids from his native St. Louis can aspire to – “showing Black and brown children that it’s possible to be in books.” Plus, the kid in the story gets to throw one down on a Grant Williams look-alike, so Celtics fans get to have a laugh.

BEYOND BOSTON

Out-of-town report

Kyle Van Noy slams Kansas City’s training staff. The former Patriot-now-Baltimore Raven was not happy with Chiefs trainers’ slow response to treat the eye injury he suffered last Thursday, saying, “I understand how Kansas City, the players have given that training room an F.” 

Marvin Harrison Jr. stumbles out of the gate. The man many Patriots fans wanted the team to take with their first pick this past spring looked slow and hesitant in a forgettable Cardinals debut (one catch for four yards). He’ll get better, but still: I’m glad we dodged this Week 1 discourse — even if we had to trade it for Drake Maye not starting right away.

A’ja Wilson crowns herself basketball’s queen. Even the GOAT himself, Tom Brady, is paying homage to Wilson, who just broke the WNBA’s single-season scoring record and has her eyes set on the first-ever 1,000-point season. Caitlin Clark has been great, but A’ja might be the best to ever do it.

ON THIS DAY

SEPTEMBER 13, 1946

World Series-bound Sox

Red Sox win their first pennant since 1918. How fitting that the only run in their 1-0 victory over Cleveland was an inside-the-park-home run by Ted Williams. They finished the season with an American League-best record of 104 wins and 50 losses. They couldn’t win the World Series, but this squad of legends that included Williams, Bobby Doerr, and Johnny Pesky was one for the books.

THE BEST THING I SAW IN SPORTS

‘Mondre the monster

😤 Rhamondre Stevenson talks that talk. The Patriots’ star running back showed glimpses of his quiet intensity in this mic’d-up video, which is even sweeter when you realize he isn’t the most demonstrative guy in the world. You’re right, ‘Mondre: they really can’t **** with you.

🗞That’s a wrap. I’ll be shouting “Take them to the hill!” every time the Patriots do anything positive on Sunday.

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