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Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox promote top pitching prospect to Double-A after 79 Ks in 49.2 IP in pro debut
One day after three pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter for the Portland Sea Dogs, the Red Sox' Double-A affiliate is adding one of Boston's top pitching prospects to its roster. Left-hander Payton Tolle has been promoted to Double-A and will join the Sea Dogs for their series in Binghamton this week, a source confirmed Monday. Tolle was Boston's second-round pick last season (50th overall). He was recently ranked as the No. 84 prospect in the game, according to Baseball America's latest rankings, and is considered by many to be the best pitching prospects in Boston's system. He'll join fellow standouts Connelly Early and David Sandlin in the Double-A rotation. Tolle, 22, dominated at High-A Greenville, posting a 3.62 ERA and striking out 79 batters in 49 ⅔ innings over 11 games (10 starts) in his first taste of pro action. The TCU alum capped off his time with the Drive by allowing one run on five hits while striking out nine batters Sunday against Greensboro. He has struck out at least eight batters in four of his last five starts. Tolle was ranked as the No. 8 prospect in Boston's system by MassLive before the season. Updated rankings from have him fifth, with the top two spots occupied by Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, who are in the majors. Tolle isn't the only prospect joining Portland. Left-hander Eduardo Rivera (35th on SoxProspects' List) and catcher/first baseman Brooks Brannon (No. 42) were also promoted from High-A, as Beyond the Monster's Josh Ball first reported. Also, lefty Shea Sprague, who has made 10 of 11 appearances this year at Single-A Salem, will join High-A Greenville. More Red Sox coverage One Red Sox player in top two after latest MLB All-Star Game voting update David Ortiz rips Rafael Devers — 'You disrespected yourself' Red Sox trade addition struggles in rehab outing; another will make WooSox debut Thursday Red Sox vent frustration over umpiring crew, resulting in two ejections Red Sox keep beating themselves, so what could have been a sweep turns into a series loss| Sean McAdam Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston Red Sox prospect has ‘massive body,' getting ‘ton of swing and miss'
Pitching prospect Payton Tolle has reached Double A just 11 outings (10 starts) into his professional career. The Red Sox informed the 22-year-old lefty, who Baseball America ranks No. 84 among its Top 100 prospects, that he was being promoted to Portland right after his dominant start Sunday. He was up to 97.7 mph with his fastball and recorded 21 swings and misses for High-A Greenville against Greensboro. He allowed one run, five hits and one walk while striking out nine in 6 innings. Boston drafted Tolle in the second round (50th overall) in 2024 out of TCU where he threw his heater 90-96 mph and mostly sat in the 91-93 mph range. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and the Red Sox saw that the 6-foot-7, 270-pounder's fastball was already difficult to hit in the low-90s because of its ride and the extension in his delivery. 'You look at it like, 'OK, what does this guy do really well? What makes him unique?' And it's this elite extension, fastball profile gets a ton of swing and miss on it,' Breslow said. 'And you say, 'OK, he's pitching 90-94. What happens if this takes a step forward?' Then you get a chance to get something really elite.' His fastball has been elite and it has led to a ton of punch-outs. He averaged 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings at Greenville. He struck out 38.3% of the batters he faced. He had a combined 55 swings and misses in his final three starts for the Drive. 'Credit to him for all the work because he's been up to 98 and we see that he's a guy who could survive on probably 75% fastballs,' Breslow said. How did Tolle — who also throws a sweeper, changeup, curveball and slider — increase his velo? He began using weight balls, a common practice among pitchers in the Red Sox system under Breslow's regime. He also has cleaned up his mechanics to make him more on time. He thinks his work in the weight room and knowing his body might be the two biggest factors. 'You start with the frame — like massive body," Breslow said. 'Great kid who works really hard, has totally bought into the development opportunities that we put in front of him. He's gotten bigger and stronger, believe it or not.' Early also has increased velo Tolle joins another dominant lefty, Connelly Early, in the Portland rotation. Early, a 23-year-old who Boston drafted out of Virginia in the fifth round in 2023, also has increased his velocity. And like Tolle, he already had an ability to get a lot of swing and miss before his velocity increased. 'He's been up to 96 and change,' Breslow said. 'So yeah, the stuff has definitely ticked up but great pitchability. The ability to throw multiple pitches in the zone — fastball/changeup combination and breaking ball. We started seeing it last year and he's just picked up.' Early is 5-1 with a 2.17 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 11 outings (eight starts). He's averaging 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He has struck out 35.4% of the batters he has faced. Opponents have batted .207 against him. Tibbs off to strong start James Tibbs III, who the Red Sox acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, went 2-for-3 with an RBI and walk in Portland's 5-3 win over Binghamton. He's 7-for-22 (.318) with a .407 on-base percentage, one triple, one double, three RBIs, three runs, three walks and six strikeouts in six games with Portland. Holobetz lowers ERA to 3.14 John Holobetz, who the Red Sox acquired from the Brewers in the Quinn Priester trade in April, allowed one run, three hits and no walks while striking out five in High-A Greenville's 2-1 loss to Rome. The 22-year-old righty, who the Brewers picked in the fifth round last year, is 3-2 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in eight outings (seven starts) for Greenville. More On Red Sox Prospects Red Sox prospect earns weekly minor league honor for second time this season Red Sox 'Big 3′ join trio of elite Boston company Boston Red Sox prospect 'The Password' goes deep twice in WooSox' win Red Sox hard-throwing prospect, two others combine for Portland no-hitter Red Sox prospect Blaze Jordan batting .348 since promotion to Worcester Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
With rise of the Big Three, pitchers now get spotlight when it comes to Red Sox prospect pipeline
In the 2024 draft, the Red Sox made a concerted effort to add pitching. Second-rounder Payton Tolle — a 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound giant — became the team's highest selection since 2017, and the first of 13 arms who were drafted. One year later, members of that class have made huge leaps. Tolle, who was taken as the No. 50 overall player in last year's draft, now ranks among the top 50 prospects in the entire sport (Baseball America has him at No. 48). Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Tolle already featured a special fastball at TCU, even though the pitch averaged just 91.5 m.p.h., thanks to incredible extension and a low arm slot that flummoxes hitters given the carry on the pitch. Now, those unusual traits remain in place, but Tolle is sitting in the mid-90s and touching 99, dominating with his heater. Advertisement Tolle also has shown an ability to work with his sweeper, slider, and changeup (a developing pitch that is critical for his repertoire) in the strike zone, creating the potential for a mid-rotation starter. Between High A Greenville and Double A Portland, he has a 3.25 ERA with a 40 percent strikeout rate (third among minor league pitchers with at least 60 innings) and just a 7 percent walk rate. Advertisement First of already many Double-A strikeouts for Payton Tolle — Portland Sea Dogs (@PortlandSeaDogs) 'It's hard not to see a guy with the kind of swing-and-miss stuff as a lefthander, and the power that he has, as a top [prospect],' said Sox farm director Brian Abraham. Lefthander Brandon Clarke, a 2024 fifth-rounder, has also vaulted in the rankings thanks to the development of a wipeout sweeper to complement a fastball that touches triple digits. It remains unclear if he can stick as a starter or if he'll emerge as a late-innings power arm but, either way, he looks like an impact arm. Some rankings now have him in the sport's top 100. 🔥Brandon Clarke gets his 1st K for the Drive — Greenville Drive (@GreenvilleDrive) With Clarke and flame-throwing teenager Juan Valera (working back from elbow soreness) in High A, starting pitching prospects Tolle, Connelly Early, and David Sandlin in Double A, and Tyler Uberstine and Shane Drohan having returned from past health woes to impress at times in Triple A Worcester, the Sox system features more starting pitching depth than it has in years — and more is on the way. The top two selections by the Sox in the 2025 draft, The Sox are positioned to use pitchers as trade chips. Already, the team dealt Advertisement What about position players? With Campbell having graduated from prospect status and Anthony and Mayer close to doing so, and with Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth having been traded in the Garrett Crochet deal, the team's position player group has been thinned considerably — but still features standouts. Shortstop Franklin Arias, hitting .295/.348/.407 as a 19-year-old with Salem and Greenville, is widely viewed as the top positional prospect in the system. As one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League, his game stands out. Franklin Arias with a double to clear the bases!! 😤😤 — Greenville Drive (@GreenvilleDrive) He demonstrates great baseball instincts and smooth defensive actions that suggest an ability to stick at short despite a lack of speed. At the least, he looks like a hitter whose great bat-to-ball skills — his 10 percent strikeout rate is the lowest in the system for anyone above the Dominican Summer League — and all-fields line drive approach should translate to hitting for average in the big leagues. If he can improve his swing decisions and plate discipline — rather than striking out, he expands the zone and makes weak contact — he has a chance to add enough doubles and homers to be an above-average everyday player. He'll require considerable development to get there, and has struggled over the last six weeks (.174/.242/.284 in last 28 games), but still may get pushed to Double A this year based on his overall skill set. 'He's such a good, natural, pure hitter that it doesn't surprise me that he's having success and he is the type of hitter we like to move,' said Red Sox director of hitting Jason Ochart. 'He's such a quick learner and hard worker that anything you throw at him, he takes it and runs with it.' Advertisement Outfielder The Password ➡️ The Futures Game Jhostynxon Garcia has been named to the 2025 All-Star Futures Game roster! ⭐️ — Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) The same could be said of outfielder James Tibbs, acquired in the Rafael Devers trade — though notably, Tibbs is also getting time at first base in Portland. There have been other intriguing, if less than dazzling, performances. Infielder Mikey Romero has shown improved power in Portland, though his swing decisions have been inconsistent. Outfielder Justin Gonzales, after a slow start as an 18-year-old in Salem, has found his form, hitting .319/.390/.507 in his last 19 games. OH MY GOD JUSTIN GONZALES. The Boston Red Sox prospect with his second Single-A home run and it was DEMOLISHED. Apparently a crazy bat flip, too, which has the crowd upset that an 18-year-old monster just stuck a dagger in them. — Hunter Noll (@Hunter_Noll) And in the Dominican, 17-year-old shortstop Dorian Soto is hitting .343/.375/.500 with all kinds of possibility for his future. What about Kristian Campbell? In some ways, the most fascinating storyline in the Sox system has somehow been below the radar for the last month. Campbell was the Minor League Player of the Year in 2024, flying through the system with an overhauled offensive approach that resulted in a startling breakout. The Sox went all-in on Campbell's emergence, awarding him an everyday job on Opening Day and But after a great April, Campbell struggled in May and June, resulting in a Advertisement The early returns have been mixed. Campbell, who's played mostly first for the WooSox, is hitting .200/.373/.323 with a 34 percent strikeout rate. He's not chasing pitches but is whiffing on pitches in the zone. KRISTIAN CAMPBELL. 3 RUN SHOT TO TAKE THE LEAD 😤 — Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) Fairly or not, he became the standard-bearer for Red Sox player development and, obviously, the Sox have a lot riding on whether he can restore his promise. There's still plenty of work to be done. Alex Speier can be reached at
