That's what outfielder Roman Anthony told Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora upon being informed at the end of spring training that he would open the season at Triple A.
The Red Sox were in Monterrey, Mexico, for a two-game exhibition series against the Sultanes de Monterrey. It was the first time Anthony played on anything resembling a major-league stage. He was not yet 21.
Anthony acquitted himself well, going a combined 2-for-8 with a triple and two walks. But after the series ended, Cora gave him the official word: He was getting sent down.
Anthony shook Cora's hand.
"He said it with conviction: 'I'll see you soon,'" Cora recalled. "And I was like, 'I know.'"
As it turned out, "soon" wasn't until June 9, a delay that, depending upon how the Red Sox's quest for the postseason turns out, the team might ultimately regret. The Sox were 32-35 when they promoted Anthony. They are 36-24 since.
On Aug. 6, less than two months into his major-league career, Anthony agreed to an eight-year, $130 million extension. And starting Thursday night, he will play his first series at Yankee Stadium, assuming a place he likely will occupy for most of the next decade as a central figure in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.
Anthony, batting .283 with a .402 on-base percentage and .837 OPS, is establishing himself as a force, and just getting started. His average exit velocity would rank among the league's best if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. But his uncommon maturity is perhaps best reflected in his defining trait, his plate discipline.
"Who he reminds me of, it's hard," Cora said. "I don't want to say (Barry) Bonds, of course. Probably (Juan) Soto, without the flashiness, early on. It's a good at-bat. He's not going to chase. Even when he doesn't get hits, you're like, holy s -- , that's a good at-bat."
Anthony is averaging 4.25 pitches per plate appearance. His walk rate is 14.6 percent. In those categories, too, he would rank among the league leaders if he had enough playing time. With 246 plate appearances, Anthony will fall short of the 502 necessary to qualify, at least this season.
Cora recalls a spring-training trip on Feb. 28 to Clearwater, Fla., from the Red Sox's home base in Fort Myers. The drive to the Philadelphia Phillies' complex, with no traffic, lasts about 2 1/2 hours. Another rookie in his first major-league camp, Kristian Campbell, struck out four times that day. Anthony led off and went 0-for-1 ... with three walks.
"You go from Fort Myers to Clearwater to walk?" Cora said. "When you're 20, you're trying to impress everybody. It was the other way around. He just stayed the course, took his walks."
The crazy thing is, Anthony's agent, Mark Rodgers of Frontline Athlete Management, said his 6-foot-3, 200-pound client is no different than he was at 15, when they first met.
"You watch him in games. He expresses very little emotion," Rodgers said. "In some ways, he's already 30 years old. He's an old soul. But you have to remind yourself, he started the season at 20 years old. He would have been a junior at Mississippi this year. He would have been in the draft."
Instead, Anthony turned down Ole Miss to go to the Red Sox, who selected him out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) High in the second round of the 2022 draft, 79th overall. Rodgers said even in high school, Anthony showed an ability to slow the game down that reminded him of two other clients -- former major-league pitcher Mike Hampton and NFL quarterback Russell Wilson.
An athlete as focused as Anthony, Rodgers said, can be difficult to represent. When Rodgers has a marketing deal for Anthony to consider, it might take days for Anthony to get back to him. "We never get offended. We know why he does that," Rodgers said. The reason is that Anthony is thinking about one thing only: His four at-bats that night.
Anthony's decision to sign his $130 million extension rather than become a free agent as early as 26 might have reflected the same tunnel vision. The deal can max out at $230 million if Anthony finishes in the top two for AL Rookie of the Year, is an All-Star every year and wins AL MVP every year. Not likely. And even when Anthony's salary reaches its maximum $29 million in 2033, he figures to be underpaid.
"We gave him the pros and cons on the deal," Rodgers said. "I think part of the reason he took this deal is that he didn't want a distraction. It was always going to be a distraction."
Fifty-eight games into his major-league career, Anthony still has room to improve. He is not yet hitting the ball in the air consistently -- his 2.21 groundball/flyball ratio is well above the 1.24 league average. When that changes, the home runs will come. So far, Anthony has hit only four. Remember, though, that shortly before his promotion, he hit a 497-foot grand slam at Triple A.
With runners in scoring position, he's batting .354 with a 1.028 OPS. "And he's a great baserunner, by the way," Cora said. "That's something people don't talk about." Sure enough, Anthony's baserunning metrics are excellent, even if his sprint speed is only slightly above-average.
"If you see his quotes, it's what managers want," Cora said. "There was one early when he was quote-unquote struggling. His under-the-hood numbers were great. He was controlling the zone, hitting the ball hard. But he wasn't producing.
"(The media) asked him (about it). And he said, 'That's all great, but at this level you have to produce. You've got to put up numbers to help the team win.' He understands that part, too."
On July 26, I interviewed Anthony for Fox after the Red Sox's 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that game, Anthony went 2-for-2 with an RBI double and walk against future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. The game ended with Aroldis Chapman striking out Mookie Betts as the tying run. I asked Anthony if it was sometimes difficult for him to believe he was playing on the same field as so many big names, considering he had turned 21 only 10 weeks before.
"I worked my whole life for it. I want to give thanks to God, and for him letting me be here, doing what I love to do, doing what I dreamed of doing ever since I was a kid," Anthony said.
"It's pretty surreal. I try to block all that out while I'm playing. It's hard to, sometimes, when you get on first and you start talking to guys like Freddie Freeman. I grew up watching all these guys. But at the same time, I'm trying to win ballgames here. We're trying to make the playoffs."
Facing Kershaw didn't bother him. Playing at Yankee Stadium won't bother him. Nothing bothers the kid who promised his manager at the end of spring training that he would not be in the minors for long.
"It's almost like, you can't be this mature, this focused, this intentional at 21," Rodgers said. "I raised five kids. They're all successful adults. Not one of them was like this at 21 years old."