Red Sox's Roman Anthony Downplays High Expectations

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The Boston Red Sox are lucky to have Roman Anthony, one of the best young talents in all of baseball, but with that comes high expectations.

Anthony has had high expectations before he even made his MLB debut. He was the best prospect in all of baseball, and many expected him to become a superstar. Well, last season, he did nothing but amaze and earned himself a long-term extension. He then went and put on a show in the World Baseball Classic for Team USA.

After a strong rookie season and spring, expectations for his first full season in the majors are sky high. However, Anthony is not concerned with expectations.

“I just don't set goals," Anthony told The Boston Herald's Gabrielle Starr on Thursday. "I don't have any expectations. I know there's a lot of expectations from other people, and, you know, whatever it is, I'm not really, not really into that, not really focused on that. It's about just showing up every day, doing what I need to do in order to get ready and help this team win.”

In 71 games last season, Anthony had a .292/.396/.463 slash line and hit eight home runs. Now, he comes into the season slotted in as the leadoff hitter for Alex Cora. He also figures to be part of the Red Sox's plan to add more power this season. Having his bat in the lineup from the start of the season will certainly help.

The Red Sox have World Series aspirations, and Anthony establishing himself as a superstar will play a major role in making that happen.