Boston Red Sox top prospect Roman Anthony could be called up any day now. Anthony, who is the No. 1 prospect in MLB per MLB Pipeline, is just 21 years old and slashing .303/.430/.492 with a .922 OPS in Worcester this season. The question isn't if he'll get promoted to Boston, but when, as the Red Sox aim to be patient with their most prized prospect. However, an incident which occurred over the weekend is rubbing some baseball fans the wrong way.
In a video posted by Hector Gomez, Anthony is removed from a minor-league ballpark 'Mission Impossible style' to avoid signing autographs for a few dozen Worcester Red Sox fans. While not the best look, one can understand that even Anthony must tire of the constant attention that comes with being the top-ranked prospect in the Sox system. Boston sports fans are rabid and relentless, so Anthony wanted a break – and his teammates got creative.
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MLB fans upset at Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony for turning down autographs
The video in its entirety can be seen above, but some MLB fans – specifically those of the older variety – thought Anthony ought to be grateful he has so many supporters at such a young age.
"Can’t make time for the fans, then they won’t make time for you," one user said.
"Idk how I feel about this, I get it but at same time I think it’s disrespectful to the fans," Ben Senecal wrote on X.
"9 people included 2 old ladies and a 10 year old boy. Delete this quick. Makes this Anthony guy look like a total d****," Gator Baseball Pod added.
Roman Anthony deserves his privacy
While many of the replies to Anthony's antics were negative, some viewers were quick to point out that not all of the autograph seekers were kids. In fact, several were far older than he was. "For all those complaining…these people are there for no reason other than to make money off his autograph. Roman certainly isn’t the loser in this scenario," one profile wrote, with a photo attached.
Anthony could have been more professional in this scenario, but at the end of the day, he's just a 21-year-old kid having fun with his friends. If they want to sneak him out in a laundry cart – or if he'd rather refuse autographs the old-fashioned way – fans ought to respect his privacy.