BOSTON — Roman Anthony. Carlos Narvaez. Nick Kurtz. Jacob Wilson.
Be ready to see those names with votes for American League Rookie of the Year representing the Boston Red Sox and the Athletics when awards season rolls around for Major League Baseball in November.
All four of these players made profound impacts in short periods of big-league experience in 2025. For the Red Sox, Anthony posted an OPS over 1.000 when he moved to the leadoff spot and sparked a remarkable 46-27 record when he’s in the lineup. Behind the plate, Narvaez became an offensive upgrade and has thrown out more potential base-stealers (30) than any other catcher in the sport.
For the Athletics, Wilson sports a pure hit tool and trails only MVP favorite and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for the league’s best batting average. Kurtz, a former first-round pick, is a pure power threat. He’s mashed 32 home runs with an OPS over 1.000 in just over 100 games in the show.
Astros rookie outfielder Cam Smith and Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez could also earn votes, but the heart of this year’s award race sits within the clubhouses of the Red Sox and Athletics. Those players know it and get an up-close look at their award competition with six head-to-head matchups in September.
“They’ve been amazing,” Narvaez told Newsweek Tuesday. “Really interesting when we went there scouting them. Really good hitters, both of them. The stuff that they’ve been doing, what the numbers and approach say, they’re going to be really good hitters for a really long time.”
“It’s pretty cool,” Wilson told Newsweek Tuesday. “It’s awesome to see younger guys making a splash in the big leagues in their first year. Hopefully, you can play against them for a long time. These guys are really good. With Roman, he has that extension, so he’ll be here for a little bit. It’s exciting to see the future of baseball, where it’s headed, build friendships on the field and get to know these guys a little bit.”
For the most part, all four rookies have performed at a high level from start to finish in 2025, showing remarkable poise to eliminate bad habits and rookie rollercoasters from a production standpoint.
“The consistency is different, they have it,” Narvaez said. “Roman has that. Nick has that. Wilson has that. They’ve been doing that for five months. The skill is impressive.”
“At a young age, it’s really easy to change things along the way,” Narvaez continued. “If you feel good or bad, you can change a lot. Kurtz and Wilson, they’ve been awesome.”
Anthony and Kurtz will have eye-popping performances at the plate for years to come with special power from the left side. Both players flirted with 500-foot homers this season, coincidentally both by way of the grand slam. Anthony clobbered a 497-foot shot in Triple-A weeks before his debut while Kurtz launched one 493 feet on the last Athletics homestand.
“It’s pretty special,” Wilson said. “You don’t get to see that too often, especially with how consistent he’s been. To be able to use the power to all fields is pretty impressive. The one last week is one of the farthest balls I’ve seen hit. It’s pretty cool to watch those balls from your home dugout.”
Boston has sights on ending a four-year playoff drought while the Athletics seek momentum to close the year in a wild AL West. The commonality will be the domination of votes from the two teams when the Rookie of the Year nod comes in two months.
“Seeing the Rookie of the Year (race) in the American League, it’s pretty stacked,” Narvaez admitted. “It’s cool. I’m proud at one point of the season to be in the mix. Just proud to be there for a little bit.”
Both managers are in for a treat at Fenway Park the next three days with a look into the future of game-changing players and several All-Star selections to come between the Red Sox and Athletics.
“The good ones, it’s not that we want to speed them up, we want them to contribute here,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Different situations but at the end, they’re good baseball players. It seems like they’re good people, too. They fit the mold. They’re good in the clubhouse. Right now, in baseball, we’re in good hands. It’s going to be fun throughout the next few years.”
“I look across at that dugout, there’s guys on that team that are along Kurtz and Wilson,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “I texted Alex after our series in Sacramento. He’s got a good, young team that’s going to be good for a while. I think our club is very similar. … It should be fun to watch these two teams go the next few years.”
More MLB: Red Sox Infielder Alex Bregman Urged to Step Up for Final Playoff Push
Read the full article here
