Some of the Red Sox’s best prospects, including Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony, have made their major level debuts this season.
However, farther down the farm, the next generation of Boston’s prospect pool is also beginning to make progress.
Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that the Red Sox are sending Payton Tolle, one of the best pitching prospects, to Double-A Portland.
In 2025, Tolle pitched for the High-A Greenville Drive, where he recorded a 3.62 ERA and struck out 79 batters in 49.2 innings during his rookie campaign.
Tolle’s pro-ready physique and swing-and-miss stuff provide upside in a Red Sox organizational system that has historically had trouble developing impact arms.
Payton Tolle had yet another outstanding performance.5 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 6.0 IP, and 9 Kpic.Twitter: https://qrB5OTugdh.
Tolle was the earliest pitcher the Red Sox had taken in the draft since Tanner Houck (24th overall) in 2017. He was selected out of TCU in the second round (50th overall) of the 2024 MLB Draft.
At six feet six and 260 pounds, the 22-year-old southpaw is already a formidable presence. However, Boston’s development staff has been intrigued by the lefty’s quick fastball and plenty of movement in his slider.
He is sitting at 95 to 98 miles per hour, which was unexpected in Year 1. We thought he could be in Year 2 or Year 3, but his path has been quite unique. Earlier this month, Red Sox pitching director Justin Willard addressed Alex Speier of The Boston Globe about Tolle’s velocity. All that’s left to do is keep improving the other aspects of what he’s doing.
Despite having just played a few games since going pro, Tolle was ranked as the 84th best baseball prospect in Baseball America’s most recent ranking.
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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