Roman Anthony is on the cusp of making his big-league debut as the hype around Boston’s outfield prospect grows. Anthony has crushed to start Worcester’s season, hitting five home runs while recording a 1.039 OPS in 23 games this year.

Ricciardi is the color analyst on NESN’s Triple-A Worcester broadcasts, and he didn’t hold back his praise for Anthony when he appeared on the “310 To Left” podcast.

“Roman Anthony is going to be a star,” Ricciardi told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “I think you’ve got a multiple-(time) All-Star, and I think you’ve got a player that’s going to go down as one of the best Red Sox ever. I know it’s high praise, but you know what? When you see them, you see them.”

Ricciardi was the general manager for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001-09, so he’s seen his fair share of great prospects and players. He even scouted Anthony when he was a member of the San Francisco Giants front office in 2022, assessing the 20-year-old as a first-round talent.

“(In) 35 years of scouting, I’ve seen a lot of good players. I’ve seen Manny Ramirez as a high school kid. I saw David Ortiz … in A-ball when he was playing in Seattle,” Ricciardi said. “The list goes on and on and on. I can compare a lot of guys. My Rolodex goes pretty deep. When you see them, you see them, and this is what I see. He’s probably (among) a handful of maybe 25 guys over a 35-year scouting career for me that I’ve seen that needs to be at the top of the list, and I don’t think he’s going to be disappointing at all.”

The Worcester, Mass., native praised Anthony’s physical profile and called him a “complete player” ready for the majors. However, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow continues to preach patience. And Anthony trusts the organization has his best interests in mind as he continues to develop defensively to ensure a smooth transition from Triple-A to MLB.

You can listen to more of Speier’s interview with Ricciardi on “310 To Left” on YouTube or Spotify.