Phillies prospect quietly brings home Minor League Gold Glove Award

While the Philadelphia Phillies struck out on Gold Glove accolades at the major league level, a minor league player in the organization was successful in taking home hardware for his fielding performance and glovework.

Phillies prospect Keaton Anthony quietly brings home Minor League Gold Glove Award

First baseman Keaton Anthony was honored by Minor League Baseball with the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for his performance this season. Anthony, 23, spent the 2024 campaign across three levels with the Single-A Clearwater Threshers, High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws and the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils where he ended the season.

In 87 games defensively, Anthony posted a .997 fielding percentage, committing just two errors in 593 chances across 753 innings of work. This was a huge improvement from 2023 where Anthony committed three errors in just 80 2/3 innings in the field. He spent most of his time this year with Jersey Shore, where he started 47 games and helped lead the team to a 74-58 record during the regular season.

Not only did Anthony perform well in the field, he also had a very successful year at the plate. In 379 plate appearances, he hit .327 with eight home runs and 67 RBI to go along with 50 walks.

Out of all the players who received a Gold Glove Award, Anthony was the only one who is not currently a member of the MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects list, a unique distinction for a player who has quickly made a name for himself in the Phillies organization over the course of the last two seasons since signing as an undrafted free agent.

Prior to his professional career, Anthony attended the University of Iowa where he collected All Big Ten honors in 2022 and 2023. At Iowa, he was used primarily as a pitcher and outfielder over the course of three collegiate campaigns. When he joined the Phillies organization, he was converted to first base, a position that he had not played since high school. This move has paid dividends for both parties, as evidenced by this latest accolade.

While many fans are disappointed that Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Zack Wheeler and Brandon Marsh missed the mark for a Gold Glove at the Major League level, Anthony provides fans with hope for the future with his display of defensive prowess. As he continues to grow both offensively and defensively, Anthony could fill a vital role down the line for the Phillies, providing much-needed depth at first base.

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