Red Sox prospect Antonio Anderson bat heats up in Arizona Fall League, pitching prospects get value innings

The Red Sox are well represented in the Arizona Fall League, and one of their young prospects is already making plenty of noise with his bat.

Through the first week of AFL action, Antonio Anderson has been one of the hottest hitters in the Mesa Solar Sox lineup, batting .368/.500/.737 with a double, two home runs, seven RBI and a 1.237 OPS while hitting near the top of the order.

His biggest swing came Friday night against the Scottsdale Scorpions.

With Mesa trailing 9-6 in the top of the ninth inning, Anderson crushed a grand slam that left his bat at 115 mph and traveled 403 feet. The Solar Sox ultimately lost, but the towering blast offered another glimpse of the power potential in Anderson’s bat.

Anderson is one of three AFL players with two home runs through the opening week and ranks second in the league with seven RBI.

The impressive start comes on the heels of a strong offensive season at High-A Greenville, where Anderson posted an .826 OPS, a significant improvement from his .666 mark in 2025.

That development is particularly encouraging considering his likely defensive future. Originally drafted as a shortstop, Anderson has transitioned to the corner infield positions, splitting time between first and third base this season. With one of the corner infield positions emerging as his most likely long-term home, his offensive production will need to carry much of his value.

So far, the early returns in Arizona have been promising.

Boston selected Anderson in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of North Atlanta High School, signing him for a $1.5 million bonus, well above the $846,000 slot value, to lure him away from a commitment to Georgia Tech.

The 21-year-old endured a difficult first professional season, batting just .186 across 108 games at Low-A Salem. Those struggles contributed to his slide down prospect rankings, but his improvement at Greenville and early performance in Arizona suggest his development is moving in the right direction.

Zanetello, White Looking to Find Their Rhythm

Anderson isn’t the only Red Sox position player getting additional work in Arizona.

Fellow 2023 draftee Nazzan Zanetello has experienced a slower start offensively, batting .200 with a home run, two RBI and nine strikeouts in 20 at-bats through six games. He has also drawn six walks and stolen two bases.

Boston selected Zanetello in the second round, 50th overall, out of Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound infielder possesses a lean, athletic frame and the versatility to handle several positions. During his time in Boston’s system, he has appeared in 94 games at shortstop and 67 at second base, along with six appearances in center field and two in left.

His professional career, however, hasn’t unfolded quite as the Red Sox or Zanetello had hoped.

Injuries have interrupted his development, and making consistent contact remains a challenge. Zanetello generally does a good job avoiding pitches outside the strike zone, but his lengthy swing can leave him vulnerable to pitches within it.

The swing-and-miss concerns aren’t necessarily a surprise, but improving his contact ability will be important as he continues climbing through the system.

Boston has used the AFL to further explore his defensive versatility. Through six games with Mesa, Zanetello has appeared three times at second base, once in the outfield and twice as the designated hitter.

Originally drafted as a shortstop, Zanetello has increasingly moved around the diamond as the Red Sox continue adding middle-infield talent to their system.

Among those additions is Mason White, who is also playing for the Solar Sox.

Zanetello and Anderson have a longstanding friendship that predates their professional careers. The two played travel baseball together for two years, spent time together during spring training and signed their first professional contracts on the same day at Fenway Park following the 2023 draft.

White, meanwhile, has also struggled to find consistency at the plate.

Through five games, he’s batting .167/.348/.333 with a home run, one RBI, five walks and eight strikeouts in 18 at-bats. Breaking balls and offspeed pitches have presented challenges, accounting for six of his eight strikeouts.

Defensively, White has looked comfortable, appearing in four games at shortstop and one at second base. While the offensive numbers haven’t jumped off the page, the additional repetitions against quality competition should provide valuable experience as he continues developing.

Judice Returns to the Mound After Injury-Plagued Season

The Red Sox also sent five pitchers to Arizona, several of whom are looking to make up for time lost to injuries during the regular season.

One of the more intriguing arms is Nicholas Judice, a towering 6-foot-8 right-hander acquired from the Yankees in the Alex Verdugo trade alongside Richard Fitts and Greg Weissert.

Judice has missed significant time with a right elbow injury, making his appearance in Arizona an encouraging development.

In his lone outing through the opening week, Judice tossed 2 1/3 innings and struck out four batters. He threw 22 of his 31 pitches for strikes while generating six swings and misses. His sinker topped out at 91.2 mph during the appearance.

Judice has previously reached 97 mph with his fastball, and his imposing frame and potential velocity make him an intriguing developmental arm in Boston’s system.

For now, the priority is keeping him healthy and getting him back into a regular pitching routine.

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