Payton Tolle ranked Red Sox’ No. 1 prospect by Baseball America

Left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle, whose exhilarating MLB debut in late August amidst Boston’s playoff push made him a household name in New England, headlines BA’s list at the No. 1 spot. MLB.com’s most recent, and final 2025, ranking has Tolle at No. 2.

Tolle’s speedy rise through the Red Sox’ minor league system in 2025 placed him in the periphery of fans. After being selected in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, he began 2025 with Single-A Greenville, was promoted to Double-A on June 24, and jumped up to Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 6. Tolle ultimately won Boston’s Minor League Baseball Pitcher of the Year Award.

By the end of the month, the 22-year-old Tolle found himself starting a game at Fenway Park. Facing off against Pirates’ star pitcher Paul Skenes, Tolle outdueled the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year (and eventual 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner) by going 5 ⅓ innings and striking out eight batters while allowing three hits.

Through the remainder of the regular season, Tolle struggled and eventually wound up in the bullpen. Nevertheless, his speedy fastball (96.6 miles per hour average, according to Baseball Savant), which has reached 99 MPH, his rugged demeanor on the mound, and his enticing upside landed him at BA’s No. 1 spot entering 2026.

Notably, Tolle has drawn comparisons to former Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, even before his MLB debut. MLB.com’s Sam Dykstra said of the southpaw the day before his first big-league action: “The Red Sox are calling up their most exciting homegrown left-handed pitcher since Jon Lester.”

Double-A Portland manager Chad Epperson dove into the Tolle-Lester comparison before Tolle’s call-up: “This is hard for me to say. But this guy, he’s a Jonny Lester-type guy to me — can’t-miss, dominant, big leaguer,” Epperson said, who’s worked in the Sox system since 2002. “He’s a rat. He just wants information. He wants to be around this. And I think those intangibles there, and with the talent, this guy’s going to be really, really special.”

Lester’s shoes are big to fill, but Tolle is surely up for the challenge.

Here is the remainder of BA’s 2026 top 10 Red Sox prospect rankings:

2. Franklin Arias, SS

3. Connelly Early, LHP

4. Kyson Witherspoon, RHP

5. Luis Perales, RHP

6. Jhostynxon Garcia, OF

7. Juan Valera, RHP

8. Justin Gonzalez, OF

9. Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP

10. Dorian Soto, SS

Kaley Brown

Sports producer

Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.