On one particular evening in the spring of 2023, Roman Anthony dined with two of the most talented shortstops he had ever met. One of those shortstops was Mikey Romero, whom the Red Sox selected with their first-round draft pick the prior summer, the same summer they chose Anthony. The other was Marcelo Mayer, the highest-ranked prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system.
Mayer and Romero already knew each other. They both grew up in Southern California and played on the same travel ball team together. It would have been very easy for the outfielder to feel out of place at that table sitting next to these two close friends, but he never did.