Burnt bacon, midnight swings: Roman Anthony on life as one-third of Boston’s new ‘Big Three’
WORCESTER – To the outside world, the emergence and convergence of center fielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, and catcher Kyle Teel seems more like a fairy tale – or a cheesy early-aughts Disney Channel original movie – than real life.
But to hear the trio of Red Sox top prospects talk about their journey, it’s equal parts sitcom, buddy comedy and grand adventure. After all, they may be three uber-talented athletes trying to make their dreams come true in one of the most high-pressure sports markets in the world, but they’re also three young men who are growing up and having the time of their lives figuring it out together.
Teel, 22, played three years of college ball at Virginia, but Anthony, who just turned 20 in May, and Mayer, 21, were drafted out of high school. Like any newly-minted adult living away from home for the first time, there have been a few learning curves.
“Last year towards the halfway point, it being my first full year (of pro ball), I was so drained and I was just killing pre-workout three to four times per day,” Anthony told the Herald. “And my mom works in the medical field, so once she got a hold of that, she was like, ‘You better never do that again.’ She was like, ‘You’re so dumb, what are you doing?’ ”
As roommates in Double-A this year, he and Mayer decided they would start cooking for themselves. That goal quickly went up in flames, literally.
“The first week we were in Portland we got snowed in the first two days, so we didn’t have much to do,” Anthony said. “So, we went to Whole Foods and got a ton of stuff. We were like, ‘Alright, we’re gonna cook in the mornings.’ We had this whole plan, how good we were gonna be.
“The first night, he’s like, ‘I’m just gonna cook eggs and bacon, we’re gonna have some breakfast for dinner.’ I was just sitting there, and all of a sudden, everything was burnt. There was smoke everywhere. He completely burned the bacon, he overcooked the eggs, the toast was burnt, and everything was just a complete mess. We’re like, ‘We’re never cooking again, this is awful.’ ”
Then, like a scene straight out of “Animal House,” they let the inedible would-be feast languish in the sink until another teammate offered to take care of it.
“I should’ve filmed this, seriously, we could’ve got hits off (Marcelo’s) cooking. The bacon was literally so burnt, it was as black as could be. It wasn’t even food at that point, it was just terrible,” Anthony said. “(Our teammate) was so disgusted that he was like, ‘I need to clean this, if you pay me to clean it, I’ll clean it,” so we paid him.”
“We actually keep our rooms very clean, it was just the kitchen. Our rooms were great, with the exception of both of us broke our beds,” he added with a chuckle. “We were wrestling some of our teammates, and it got a little out of hand.”
These days, the fridge stays empty, save for the Brita water filter. They go out to eat, get takeout, or eat at the field, instead. Anything but cooking. Anthony says he eats clean during the offseason, but Mayer, whom he jokingly described as “a bad influence,” got him hooked on Crumbl cookies and gelato.
The Red Sox selected Teel 14th overall in last summer’s draft, and by late season, he joined Anthony and Mayer in Portland. Anthony describes the catcher as a “baseball savant, always studying the game.”
Sometimes to the detriment and amazement of sleeping teammates.
“I remember my first impression of Kyle. I played with his younger brother in travel ball, and when Kyle got drafted, we were roommates on the road in Double-A,” Anthony said. “I wake up in the middle of the night, and I hear this noise, I hear his chain hitting against his neck, and he’s in the mirror, with his shirt off, taking dry swings. And I’m like, oh my gosh this is hilarious. It was like, one, two in the morning, he was drinking a Red Bull, and then he was swinging in the mirror. And I was like, OK, this guy. This is Kyle.
“That’s just how he is. He’s always learning, he’s always feeling something, he’s always asking me to video something. And it’s awesome, because he goes into the game and he really is never sped up. He knows what to do. He’s super prepared every day, but he’s fun to play with, he’s fun to be around in the club house. Extremely loud and hyper 24/7. He’s awesome. He definitely plays with his hair on fire.”
Anthony has been, too. Over his first nine games since the trio received a joint promotion to Triple-A Worcester, he’s hit .333 with a .900 OPS, 12 hits, three doubles and a home run.
The life of the Big Three is chaotic, messy and fun.
A dream coming true.