In recent years, the Red Sox have not been known for their bold moves, especially when it comes to the handling of top prospects. But let’s give credit where it’s due. Boston is taking a risk on Friday by sending 6-foot-6, 22-year old lefty Payton Tolle–the team’s No. 2 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline–to the mound at Fenway Park on Friday vs. the Pirates.
It is, to be clear, a move of necessity. The Red Sox’s pitching depth has been sapped by injuries to the likes of Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, Patrick Sandoval, Cooper Criswell and Richard Fitts. Walker Buehler was knocked to the bullpen, too, meaning the Red Sox need another guy.
And Tolle, the team’s 2024 second-round pick, sure looks like A Guy.
Red Sox’s Payton Tolle Dominant
So, first, the background.
Tolle shot up through the team’s farm system, from High A to Triple-A this season, and was brilliant in his last start in Worcester, when Tolle threw 63 pitches over 5.0 innings, allowing one hit and one run, with no walks and nine strikeouts. His fastball averaged 96.5 mph in that outing.
He has a 3.60 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 15.0 innings at Triple A, and 3-5 with a 3.04 ERA in the sum of his pro career. He has 91.2 innings to his credit this season, with a WHIP of 0.993 and 133 strikeouts against just 23 walks.
Scouting Red Sox New Starter
Now, the scouting reports.
Baseball America wrote: “Tolle is a mountain on the mound who uses his size to create a distinctive lefthanded look. He generates enormous extension, releasing the ball more than 7 feet in front of the rubber, while his low three-quarters arm slot seems like a cannon fired from the middle of a fortress wall. His low release height of 5.5 feet combined with excellent ride on his 91 mph four-seamer, which touched 96, created fits for college hitters. Tolle’s slider has average or better potential if he can throw it harder. His changeup was below-average but flashed potential. He also has a cutter and curveball.”
MLB Pipeline says: “Tolle was a polarizing prospect in the Draft, with some scouts wowed by his fastball metrics and others seeing him as more of multi-inning reliever with just one weapon. To enhance his chances of making it as a starter, Boston has had him dial back his fastball usage (75 percent last spring) and work on improving his average mid-80s sweeping slider and fringy upper-80s changeup, both of which have added power as well. He’s pounding the strike zone and has a bulldog mentality, two more reasons the Red Sox think he can become a frontline starter.”
Payton Tolle’s Self-Scouting
And this from Tolle himself, via FanGraphs, discussing his burst in velocity from the low to the upper 90s since arriving in the Red Sox system: “The velo is something we’ve kind of driven hard ever since I got to the Red Sox org. I’m buying into the system, buying into how the velo is going to change how everything looks. I also understand that more swing-and-miss is going to come at the top of the zone. At Wichita State, my first year, I felt like I was almost more sinkers, but then I switched up my grip. I brought my fingers closer together and started to have more ride on it.”
Tolle also explained to FanGraphs how he has worked on his top breaking pitch, which defies easy definition: “We’ve put a lot of training economy into a slider/cutter/gyro. We’ve kind of called it everything in the book. I’m trying to throw it with a lot of velo. It’s starting to get up to 87-88, and I think I’ve thrown one at 90. I call it a slider, but it’s probably more of a gyro slider. You can call it anything you want, as long as it’s doing what I want.”
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