As autumn approaches, the Boston Red Sox are showcasing the strength of their future in real time with two homegrown left-handed pitching phenoms: Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, who could very well emerge as cornerstones of a revitalized rotation.
Tolle, the Red Sox's second-round pick last year out of TCU, made a compelling case during his MLB debut on August 29th. In a matchup against none other than Paul Skenes of all pitchers, Tolle stood out with eight strikeouts over 5.1 innings, allowing just three hits and two runs. Regardless of whether Greg Weissert gave up the lead after his exit, he had risen through the minors this year to get to this point. He posted a combined 3.05 ERA with 133 strikeouts in all three levels (High-A Greenville, AA Portland, & AAA Worcester).
His debut performance sparked comparisons to Chris Sale, with former MVP Andrew McCutchen giving him a round of applause in response to that statement.
With Payton Tolle & Connelly Early, Red Sox's Future Is Bright
On the heels of Tolle's debut, Early earned his own call-up to make his major league debut as soon as 10:05 PM EST. The 23-year-old lefty has dominated the minors as well, posting a 2.60 ERA and 132 strikeouts in just over 100 innings pitched in both AA and AAA.
His arsenal has a fastball that goes up to 96 mph, but he focuses on his breaking pitches more often than not, which are the changeup, sweeper, and slider. In that case, he's a Red Sox pitching department darling.
These promotions come at a critical crisis, as the Red Sox rotation has been spread thin by many injuries. Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, and now Dustin May, with an undisclosed injury, causing Early to get called up.
Tolle and Early are stepping in at the perfect time to not just fill the gaps, but to reshape the staff's trajectory for the season.
What makes this tandem even more compelling is each player's unique path and profile. Tolle brings a powerful fastball with sheer presence and upside, along with a nasty cutter and changeup as well. Early offers polish, pitch control, and high-floor projection.
For a franchise that was long searching for homegrown starters, seeing two top-rated lefties debut in the same season is electrifying (and many more pitchers in the wings). The Red Sox may just be witnessing the dawn of a long-awaited pitching renaissance.
With both now in the big leagues, the possibilities are endless, and the future is brighter than ever.
"Give me more top prospects! More!" - Craig Breslow, probably.