Name: Keaton Anthony
Position: 1B
Born: June 24, 2001
Country: US
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’4″ 211lbs
How Acquired: Non Drafted Free Agent after 2023 Draft
Signed: July 18, 2023
Bonus: $125,000
Options Remaining: 3
Rule 5 Eligible: 2026
MiLB Free Agency: 2029
Stats
Prospect Rankings
Role: Second Division Regular
Risk: High – Low power output R/R first base is a tough path for any prospect. Anthony has shown a good approach and high line drive rate at each level, but he will need to prove that against higher minors pitching.
Summary: Anthony might have gone on day 2 of the draft in 2023 if not for a gambling allegation (there was no punishment or conclusion of guilt). He showed moderate power in college, but also the ability to get hits and work counts. In professional ball, he has shown much of the same. He put up modest exit velocity numbers with Clearwater and only hit 8 home runs on the season. He posted a .327 average thanks to a staggering 31.6% line drive rate across all of his stops. He needs to elevate the ball more to get to home run power, and while he may not be a 30 home run hitter, he probably needs to get to at least 15-20 home run power. Some of that might just come from driving the right pitches to the pull side, which he did infrequently all year. He has shown plate discipline to be able to make that sort of change, as he chases at a low rate and handles off speed pitches well. Anthony played first this season, but has some experience in an outfield corner in college, and he has the athleticism that he should be able to give it a go. He received a minor league gold glove for his work at first base, and is definitely a plus there.
2025 Outlook: Anthony ended the year with Reading and should return as the primary first baseman. He could possibly see time in an outfield corner if his bat improves. He will need to tap into more power, and Reading is a good place to show if that work comes true.
Role: Second Division Regular
Risk: High – Low power output R/R first base is a tough path for any prospect. Anthony has shown a good approach and high line drive rate at each level, but he will need to prove that against higher minors pitching.
Summary: Anthony might have gone on day 2 of the draft in 2023 if not for a gambling allegation (there was no punishment or conclusion of guilt). He showed moderate power in college, but also the ability to get hits and work counts. In professional ball, he has shown much of the same. He put up modest exit velocity numbers with Clearwater and only hit 8 home runs on the season. He posted a .327 average thanks to a staggering 31.6% line drive rate across all of his stops. He needs to elevate the ball more to get to home run power, and while he may not be a 30 home run hitter, he probably needs to get to at least 15-20 home run power. Some of that might just come from driving the right pitches to the pull side, which he did infrequently all year. He has shown plate discipline to be able to make that sort of change, as he chases at a low rate and handles off speed pitches well. Anthony played first this season, but has some experience in an outfield corner in college, and he has the athleticism that he should be able to give it a go. He received a minor league gold glove for his work at first base, and is definitely a plus there.
2025 Outlook: Anthony ended the year with Reading and should return as the primary first baseman. He could possibly see time in an outfield corner if his bat improves. He will need to tap into more power, and Reading is a good place to show if that work comes true.
Season Reports/Highlights
Phillies Minor League Monthly Retrospective – September and Full Season 2024
Rookie Hitter (First Full Season) of the Year: Keaton Anthony, 1B
The best prospect among first year players was Aidan Miller, but the undrafted Anthony put up the best stats. A betting investigation (that he was not punished for) dropped Anthony out of the draft, and that was the Phillies gain. Anthony has a good 14 games in 2023, but broke out in a big way in 2024. He is a line drive machine with a good approach. He hit .327 with a .414 on base percentage, hitting the ball more with Jersey Shore than with Clearwater. He needs to hit the ball for power more to be an impact prospect, but his batting average and BABIP were not flukes.
Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 24 9/3-9/9)
11-23 1 2B 1 HR 1 BB 2 K .478/.520/.652
Keaton Anthony got the rare midweek promotion of an actual prospect. The Phillies had to strongly thinking about bumping him to Reading anyway for the extra week of games, but the rash of injuries sort of forces things in the middle of the week. Anthony only went 2 for 9 with Reading, with just the one strikeout, but he left Jersey Shore with a bang, going 4 for 5 with a double, home run, and a hit by pitch in his last game at the shore. Anthony hit .356/.418/.483 with the BlueClaws after hitting .322/.446/.470 earlier this year with the Threshers. He is good defensive first baseman, but for now he is first base only (they could theoretically try him in an OF corner). At the plate he continues to be an outlier. His already below average game power dropped when he went north, but Jersey Shore is known for killing even plus plus power. His walk rate unsurprisingly dropped when he moved away from the ABS system, but the stable strikeout rate points to solid approach and contact skills. His BABIP is way out of norms, but he leads all minor leaguers with at least 400 PA in line drive rate at a whopping 31.8%. He isn’t going to hit many home runs with his current approach, but only 20 doubles is also a bit of a disappointment.
All of that said, this was Anthony’s first full pro season and he is right at the cut off to make this age 23 season and not age 22, so he is still young for a college bat now in AA. He definitely has room to add some strength and bulk, and that should help some on the raw power (which is below average for the position). Some of getting more impact will be some mindset changes to drive the ball in the air more, in a similar way as Alec Bohm (though Bohm had much more raw power). It is all going to be a sort of prove it until you make it for Anthony, which is going to cause him to be under ranked to many because it is a much riskier profile than it looks.
Phillies Minor League Monthly Retrospective – August 2024
There hasn’t really been a stock up moment for Anthony, who has now had an average over .300 and OBP over .380 in all 5 months (and over .400 for 5). He has walked less in Jersey Shore after his promotion, which is unsurprising given the high level and lack of ABS. He has posted a high BABIP at both levels thanks to an abnormally high line drive rate. He doesn’t chase much and will use all fields. The problem has been the power output, and he found some home run power in August, but he doesn’t hit the ball hard enough to be there consistently. Anthony is going to need to maintain the positive line drive and chase rates at every level along the way to be a real prospect, and it might take getting to the majors and doing it there for it have any real belief behind it.
Phillies 2024 Midseason Prospect Ranking and Trade Deadline Preview
Keaton Anthony has been a line drive machine as a pro, and when combined with solid chase and zone contact rates has made him an average and on base machine. He is a R/R first baseman so he needs to hit for power. He obviously needs to elevate the ball more, but with a 90th percentile EV of 101.7 mph with Clearwater there is a concern that he just does not have enough raw power to be a viable first baseman.
Phillies Minor League Monthly Retrospective – September and Full Season 2024
Rookie Hitter (First Full Season) of the Year: Keaton Anthony, 1B
The best prospect among first year players was Aidan Miller, but the undrafted Anthony put up the best stats. A betting investigation (that he was not punished for) dropped Anthony out of the draft, and that was the Phillies gain. Anthony has a good 14 games in 2023, but broke out in a big way in 2024. He is a line drive machine with a good approach. He hit .327 with a .414 on base percentage, hitting the ball more with Jersey Shore than with Clearwater. He needs to hit the ball for power more to be an impact prospect, but his batting average and BABIP were not flukes.
Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 24 9/3-9/9)
11-23 1 2B 1 HR 1 BB 2 K .478/.520/.652
Keaton Anthony got the rare midweek promotion of an actual prospect. The Phillies had to strongly thinking about bumping him to Reading anyway for the extra week of games, but the rash of injuries sort of forces things in the middle of the week. Anthony only went 2 for 9 with Reading, with just the one strikeout, but he left Jersey Shore with a bang, going 4 for 5 with a double, home run, and a hit by pitch in his last game at the shore. Anthony hit .356/.418/.483 with the BlueClaws after hitting .322/.446/.470 earlier this year with the Threshers. He is good defensive first baseman, but for now he is first base only (they could theoretically try him in an OF corner). At the plate he continues to be an outlier. His already below average game power dropped when he went north, but Jersey Shore is known for killing even plus plus power. His walk rate unsurprisingly dropped when he moved away from the ABS system, but the stable strikeout rate points to solid approach and contact skills. His BABIP is way out of norms, but he leads all minor leaguers with at least 400 PA in line drive rate at a whopping 31.8%. He isn’t going to hit many home runs with his current approach, but only 20 doubles is also a bit of a disappointment.
All of that said, this was Anthony’s first full pro season and he is right at the cut off to make this age 23 season and not age 22, so he is still young for a college bat now in AA. He definitely has room to add some strength and bulk, and that should help some on the raw power (which is below average for the position). Some of getting more impact will be some mindset changes to drive the ball in the air more, in a similar way as Alec Bohm (though Bohm had much more raw power). It is all going to be a sort of prove it until you make it for Anthony, which is going to cause him to be under ranked to many because it is a much riskier profile than it looks.
Phillies Minor League Monthly Retrospective – August 2024
There hasn’t really been a stock up moment for Anthony, who has now had an average over .300 and OBP over .380 in all 5 months (and over .400 for 5). He has walked less in Jersey Shore after his promotion, which is unsurprising given the high level and lack of ABS. He has posted a high BABIP at both levels thanks to an abnormally high line drive rate. He doesn’t chase much and will use all fields. The problem has been the power output, and he found some home run power in August, but he doesn’t hit the ball hard enough to be there consistently. Anthony is going to need to maintain the positive line drive and chase rates at every level along the way to be a real prospect, and it might take getting to the majors and doing it there for it have any real belief behind it.
Phillies 2024 Midseason Prospect Ranking and Trade Deadline Preview
Keaton Anthony has been a line drive machine as a pro, and when combined with solid chase and zone contact rates has made him an average and on base machine. He is a R/R first baseman so he needs to hit for power. He obviously needs to elevate the ball more, but with a 90th percentile EV of 101.7 mph with Clearwater there is a concern that he just does not have enough raw power to be a viable first baseman.