Team USA is getting a massive lift from a West Palm Beach native in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Roman Anthony, 21, hit the go-ahead home run for the Americans in the fourth inning of a 2-1 victory over rival powerhouse Dominican Republic on Sunday, March 16 at LoanDepot Park in Miami.
Anthony’s 421-foot blast to centerfield helped Team USA advance withstand a fiery Dominican performance and advance to Tuesday night’s WBC championship game against the winner of Italy-Venezuela.
One of the top prospects in professional baseball prior to his 2025 debut, Anthony is an emerging star with the Boston Red Sox.
Where is Roman Anthony from?
Anthony was born in West Palm Beach and got his start in baseball in Palm Beach County.
He played youth baseball with the Wellington Colts and his first two years of varsity baseball with West Palm Beach’s Cardinal Newman High School.
Roman Anthony’s parents key in baseball rise
Anthony transferred to Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Broward County prior to his junior year, a move that required his father to get an apartment in Parkland according to a 2025 profile by The New York Times.
“They said if it’s pretty real by the time you’re a junior, you can go down there and play and we’ll make the transition work,” Anthony told The New York Times.
The move paid off on a big way: Stoneman Douglas won back-to-back state championships with Anthony as a key cog in the lineup, including a 10-0 state title victory over Palm Beach Gardens in Anthony’s final varsity game.
“It cost me a small fortune renting a place down there,” his father Tony Anthony said. “But at the end of the day, he won a couple state championships, two national championships and Gatorade Florida Player of the Year. So it worked out.”
Roman Anthony nationality lands with Team USA
Anthony was added to the American roster for the World Baseball Classic as an injury replacement for Corbin Carroll.
It was not always certain that Anthony would don the red, white and blue, however.
Anthony, who has Italian heritage in his family, was reportedly recruited to play for Team Italy at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The 21-year-old outfielder could find himself back in the lineup against his former potential suitor should Team Italy knock off Venezuela to advance to the WBC final.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach native Roman Anthony emerges as star for USA in WBC
Reporting by Eric J. Wallace, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
