Payton Tolle: Red Sox 2025 Minor League Player Of The Year
When the Red Sox drafted lefthander Payton Tolle in the second round in 2024, they saw a pitcher with fascinating physical and delivery traits as well as immense room for growth.
But even they underestimated how quickly the growth would occur—and how rapidly Tolle would forge a path through their system in his first full professional season.
“His ability to learn and pick up things is just at a rate that I really haven’t seen,” Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard said.
Tolle spent two years as an impact two-way player at Wichita State before concentrating heavily on the mound after transferring to Texas Christian for his junior year. There, he featured a low-90s fastball that befuddled hitters thanks to a combination of his 6-foot-6, 245-pound stature, elite extension and low release height.
The Red Sox believed Tolle could become a midrotation starter with more power to his fastball and better secondary shapes—but no one expected his growth to occur as quickly as it did.
By spring training, Tolle overwhelmed hitters on the backfields while averaging 94 mph on his fastball. He also started leaning on a hard gyro slider.
He opened the season in High-A Greenville, where he ran a 50% whiff rate on his fastball and 38% strikeout rate to force a promotion after 11 starts. He then continued to dominate in the upper levels. He also made gains with his arsenal, added velocity, developed a cutter in August, showed promise with a kick changeup and reintroduced his college curveball.
Across 91.2 minor league innings at three levels, Tolle had a 3.04 ERA and 37% strikeout rate. He became the first Red Sox starter to reach the big leagues in his first full pro season since Abe Alvarez in 2004.
The Red Sox believe Tolle will be a key part of their rotation.
“This is hard for me to say, but this guy, he’s a Jonny Lester-type guy to me,” Portland manager Chad Epperson said. “Can’t-miss, dominant, big leaguer.”
Sox Yarns
— Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia entered the final week of the season as Boston’s minor league leader in home runs with 21. He could become the first minor leaguer to lead the system in homers in back-to-back years since Bobby Dalbec in 2018 and ’19.
— Righthander Luis Perales exceeded triple digits with his fastball in live batting practice sessions before an end-of-year rehab assignment in the minors for Double-A and Triple-A. Perales is slated to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, but the Red Sox had not ruled out having him pitch in the big leagues this year.
