Former Red Sox fan favorite remembers what its like to be in Roman Anthony’s shoes

BOSTON — All Xander Bogaerts knows about Roman Anthony comes from watching him on television or hearing about him from people he knows around baseball.

The former Red Sox phenom has never met the current one. But Bogaerts, now 33 in his fourth season with the San Diego Padres, has a better understanding of what it’s like to be in Anthony’s shoes.

Like Anthony, he was a top 5 prospect. Baseball America had each of them No. 2 going into their call-up years. Both debuted in the middle pennant races with high expectations from Boston’s demanding fan base.

There is one notable difference.

“He came up and got an extension right away. I can’t relate to that,” Bogaerts said.

That line got a laugh from the Boston media talking to him in the visitors dugout. Bogaerts signed with the Padres after negotiations on an extension famously broke down with Boston between the 2022-23 seasons.

But there was more to his point. That eight-year, $130 million contract, combined with Rafael Devers getting traded, put a lot of responsibility on Anthony right away.

“That (extension) probably comes with a little bit more on his shoulders. He might be the face of the team right now,” Bogaerts said Friday. “When you think of all that happened last year, he’s probably the guy. He’s a really good player. I’ve never met him, never played with him in the minors or anything like that. I don’t know the kid. All I know is he’s very good at baseball and is a nice kid also from what I’ve heard.”

Bogaerts was the face of the Red Sox for a stretch, but not nearly as soon. David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia occupied that space when he arrived and Bogaerts had several veteran teammates throughout his early Boston career.

But he had some advice on how to fill the role.

“Accountability might be the biggest one,” said Bogaerts, who got a nice ovation when he was announced in the starting lineup. “In a big market like this, be respectful, be accountable.”

Accountability comes in many forms, especially in Boston. To his teammates, to the franchise’s history and to the fans. Bogaerts’ understanding of how to manage that evolved over his 10 seasons in Boston.

“It can be hard. They know you can do better, everytime you’re not. They just want to see you succeed. But it can definitely be a little stressful sometimes. Expectations are always high here,” said Bogaerts who won two World Series, during his time with the Red Sox. “There’s a winning culture, winning tradition. A lot of great players came through this organization. When I came up it was David and Pedroia also.”

This is Bogaerts’ second time back in Boston with the Padres, but he was injured when San Diego visited in 2024. This is the first time he’ll play as a visitor. There’s just a handful of players from his last Red Sox team in 2022 still on the roster.

He’ll be batting second and despite all the speculation that he’d move to second or third later in his career, he’s still playing shortstop.

“Coming up, it was always how I was going to move off of short,” he said. “Luckily I’m blessed to still be able to play it and be pretty decent. I’m proud of myself for achieving that for myself. I wanted to stay there and I know I had to do maybe a little extra to stay there because it’s one of the most demanding positions in sports.

“The preparation is a little bit more. Taking care of your body is a little bit more,” he continued. “I also think you get wiser. David used to always say that. ‘The older you get, you get wiser.’ You don’t have the same quickness, but you’ve seen a lot and maybe you know what’s going to happen before it happens.”

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