Tag: antonio anderson

Red Sox prospects Dylan Brown, Antonio Anderson named South Atlantic League Pitcher and Player of the Week

Red Sox prospects Dylan Brown and Antonio Anderson have been named the South Atlantic League Pitcher and Player of the Week for the week of June 22-28, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Brown put together a dominant start for High-A Greenville last Wednesday. Going up against Asheville at Fluor Field, the 22-year-old left-hander allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out a career-high of 11 over a career-high seven scoreless innings. He threw 75 pitches (53 strikes), topping out at 93.4 mph with his fastball and generating 19 whiffs as the Drive blanked the Tourists, 5-0.

In seven outings (six starts) since being promoted from Low-A Salem in early May, Brown has posted a 4.05 ERA with 49 strikeouts to 11 walks over 33 1/3 innings for Greenville. While opponents in the South Atlantic League are hitting .276 against him, that figure is inflated by a .442 batting average on balls in play.

Overall, Brown owns a 3.34 ERA with an organizational-leading 81 strikeouts to 24 walks through 12 outings (11 starts) spanning 56 2/3 innings between Salem and Greenville this season. The lefty has limited opposing hitters to a .238/.352/.331 clip. In a case of reverse splits, that includes a .299/.405/.373 line against left-handed hitters and a .210/.294/.259 line against right-handed hitters.

Brown, who just turned 22 on Saturday, was selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round (238th overall) of last summer’s draft out of Old Dominion. The Pennsylvania native received an at-slot $229,000 signing bonus but did not make his professional debut until this April. Since then, he has moved into Baseball America’s top 30 Red Sox prospects list and is now ranked as the organization’s No. 28 prospect.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Brown operates with a wide-ranging pitch mix that includes a 91-94 mph two- and four-seam fastball combination that can reach 95 mph, an 88-89 mph cutter, an 81-85 mph slider, and an 82-84 mph changeup.

Anderson, meanwhile, put together a strong series at the plate for Greenville. Appearing in all six games against Asheville, the switch-hitting 21-year-old went 11-for-22 (.500) with two doubles, three home runs, six RBIs, five runs scored, two walks, and four strikeouts. He homered in three straight games (June 25-27), finished a triple shy of the cycle on Saturday, and saw a seven-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday, though he still scored a run.

After a slow start, Anderson has picked things up in recent weeks. Since June 1, for instance, he is slashing a stout .350/.422/.650 over his last 11 games (45 plate appearances). Altogether, he is batting .236/.342/.390 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 18 RBIs, 20 runs scored, one stolen base, 19 walks, and 35 strikeouts through 37 games (146 plate appearances) for Greenville this season. That includes a .200/.286/.400 line against lefties and a .245/.356/.388 line against righties.

Defensively, Anderson has seen most of his playing time this year come at first base, where he has committed four errors in 207 chances across 26 starts. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has also made eight starts at shortstop (where he has committed four additional errors) and one start at DH. He has prior experience at shortstop, though he has not logged any innings there since 2024.

Anderson, who just turned 21 on Sunday, was selected by the Red Sox in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2023 draft out of North Atlanta High School. He forwent his commitment to Georgia Tech and went pro by signing with Boston for an over-slot $1.5 million. Coming into 2024, he was ranked by Baseball America as the organization’s No. 22 prospect. Since then, however, he has dropped out of the rankings entirely, having become something of a forgotten prospect before this recent stretch.

Brown and Anderson are the first Red Sox prospects to earn South Atlantic League Pitcher or Player of the Week honors for Greenville this season, with each taking home their first career minor league award as well.

(Picture of Dylan Brown: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote IF prospect Antonio Anderson to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect Antonio Anderson from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

Anderson, 19, is enjoying a bounce-back season after struggling mightily in his first full season of pro ball last year. To kick off the 2025 campaign, the switch-hitter batted a stout .345/.436/.488 with six doubles, two home runs, 17 RBIs, 18 runs scored, one stolen base, 15 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 22 games (101 plate appearances) for Salem. That includes a .276/.382/.397 slash line from the left side of the plate and a .500/.546/.692 slash line from the right side.

Among qualified Carolina League hitters coming into play on Tuesday, Anderson ranked fourth in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, OPS (.924), wOBA (.443), and line-drive rate (30.2 percent), seventh in wRC+ (154), 12th in slugging percentage, 28th in walk rate (14.9 percent), 30th in isolated power (.143) and swinging-strike rate (10.1 percent), and 31st in strikeout rate (21.8 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Anderson saw the majority of his playing time to begin the season come at third base. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder logged 145 1/3 innings at the hot corner for Salem, committing two errors in 42 chances. He also made one start at first base (a career first) and four starts at DH after splitting time between third base and shortstop last year.

A Georgia native, Anderson was originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2023 draft out of North Atlanta High School. He forwent his commitment to Georgia Tech by signing with Boston for an over-slot $1.5 million and made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League shortly thereafter.

Anderson, who turns 20 next month, is not currently regarded by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, or SoxProspects.com as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. Still, as recently highlighted by Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes, he has improved in several areas across the board this season and appears to have turned a corner developmentally.

With that being said, it should be interesting to see how Anderson handles the jump from Low-A to High-A and the adjustment period that comes with it. In Greenville, he figures to join a corner infield mix that — at present — includes the likes of Albert Feliz, Andy Lugo, Brooks Brannon, Juan Montero, and Marvin Alcantara, among others.

(Picture of Antonio Anderson: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox select high school shortstop Antonio Anderson with third pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected North Atlanta High School shortstop Antonio Anderson with their third-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 83 overall.

Anderson, 18, was regarded by Baseball America as the No. 68 prospect in this year’s draft class. The Peach State native is currently committed to play college baseball at Georgia Teach.

A switch-hitter, Anderson batted .438/.522/.723 with 10 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 51 RBIs, 32 runs scored, four stolen bases, 23 walks, and 15 strikeouts in 34 games for North Atlanta this spring, per his MaxPreps page.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Anderson “is a polished hitter who understands the strike zone and recognizes pitches well,” according to his Baseball America scouting report. He “has a smooth stroke from both sides with good rhythm and balance. He shows more in-game power from the left side, but scouts think he has more raw power as a righthanded hitter. He’s got a chance for above-average on-base skills with above-average power potential as he fills out a frame that should get taller and stronger.”

Defensively, Anderson may have to eventually move off shortstop on account of being a “fringy runner who projects to be below-average in the future.” Because of the lack of quick-twitch actions, Anderson “might profile better at third base. He has solid arm strength and has been into the low 90s as a pitcher, with reliable hands and actions as well that could suit the hot corner.”

Anderson, who does not turn 19 until next May, becomes the second straight high school infielder drafted by the Red Sox. Boston closed out Day 1 of the draft on Sunday night by taking Christian Brothers College High School (St. Louis, Mo.) shortstop Nazzan Zanetello with its second-round (50th overall) pick.

Assuming he signs by the July 25 deadline, Anderson will likely join Zanetello in beginning his professional career at the rookie-level Florida Complex League in Fort Myers. The slot value for the 83rd overall selection in this year’s draft is $846,800.

The Red Sox have nine more picks to make on Monday. They will be making their fourth-round selection at No. 115 overall momentarily.

(Picture of Antioni Anderson: Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)