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Red Sox Draft Lefty Two-Way Athlete in Second Round

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After snagging Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery in the first round, the Boston Red Sox selected Payton Tolle, a two-way player from Texas Christian University, with the 50th pick of the 2024 MLB Draft. Tolle is the highest-drafted pitcher that Boston has taken since Tanner Houck, who went in the first round in 2017. The 21-year-old stands at a massive 6’6” and weighs 250 pounds.

Red Sox Draft Two-Way Lefty Payton Tolle In Second Round

Tolle leaves college baseball after his junior year. He spent his first two seasons at Wichita State, where he dominated as a two-way player. Tolle batted .317 in just over 100 at-bats during his freshman year. He followed that up nicely with a .311 average and 13 home runs in double the plate appearances in his sophomore season. On the mound, Tolle struggled at times. He had an ERA above 4.40 in both of his campaigns with the Shockers. Over those seasons, he threw a total of 152 innings, struck out 146 batters, and had an ERA of 4.56.

At The Plate

After showing out for Wichita State, Tolle transferred to TCU for the 2024 season. He had issues at the plate, never really settling in as a hitter. After recording seven RBI in his first three games, he had just six the rest of the year. He fell out of the Horned Frogs’ regular lineup by mid-March, totaling just 55 at-bats in 2024. Tolle batted .182 with two homers, a large step down from his Wichita State days. However, the same couldn’t be said for his pitching.  

On The Mound

Tolle’s first outing on the mound wasn’t an ideal start – giving up four runs in just three innings of work. However, he slowly found his footing in his first five starts, and he had a 5.24 ERA entering a contest on March 22 against Oklahoma State. That’s when things finally clicked for the left-hander. Tolle tossed a nine-inning complete game shutout while punching out 15 batters. He allowed just five hits and three walks. It was Tolle’s second consecutive game with double-digit strikeouts. He would extend that to three in his next start. 

He entered April with a 3.38 ERA and ended the month at 3.16. Tolle did not allow an earned run across three starts from April 19 to May 3. His production dipped in his last two appearances, surrendering seven runs over 12 ⅓ combined innings. But despite losing his consistency at the plate, Tolle found it in a big way on the mound. He exited the 2024 season with a 7-4 record, a 3.21 ERA, and 125 strikeouts in just over 81 innings. Tolle’s dominance on the bump was rewarded with winning the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year. 

Where Does Payton Tolle Fit Into The Red Sox System?

Despite hitting and pitching in college, Tolle enters professional baseball profiled as a hurler only. His fastball plays much faster than it is recorded at, with a heater that tops out at around 96 miles per hour. Tolle relies heavily on the pitch, throwing it nearly 75% of the time. He also has a slider and changeup in his arsenal that each sit in the low 80s. Scouts are undecided whether he would best be used as a starting pitcher or a multi-inning reliever. 15 pitchers were selected ahead of Tolle in the first, compensatory, and second rounds. 

There were questions asked about whether Boston would go with a pitcher in the first round before the draft. They were perfectly fair inquiries, especially with the lack of throwing depth in the Red Sox system. Of their top 20 prospects, according to MLB.com, just six of them are pitchers. None rank higher than Wikelman Gonzalez at fifth, who struggled in Double-A this season. Next up is ninth-best prospect Luis Perales, who is out indefinitely due to Tommy John surgery. With issues and futures up in the air, taking a pitcher makes complete sense. Boston followed that logic by picking Tolle.

 

Photo Credit: © Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

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