We are now officially 28 days from pitchers & catchers reporting to Spring Training, along with 38 games until the games begin. That said, MLB and MLB Pipeline have begun releasing their Top 10 rankings for prospects ahead of the 2026 season. This time, it’s about left-handed pitchers, and the Boston Red Sox are a part of the list. Not only are they part of the latest rankings, but they have two of the Top 10 prospect LHPs ahead of the ’26 season. Which Red Sox southpaws made the MLB Pipeline list?
Connelly Early Shines for Red Sox
In the latest MLB Pipeline Top 10 prospect list, Jonathan Mayo placed Red Sox left-handed pitchers Payton Tolle (second) and Connelly Early (eighth) in his most recent rankings. Moreover, he believes both Tolle and Early will be playing for Boston at somepoint this upcoming 2026 season.
When looking at the two young LHPs, both guys already made their MLB Debuts with the Red Sox in 2025, with some mixed results. Regarding Early, started four games, going 1-2 in 19.1 innings of work. He finished with a 2.33 ERA, striking out 29 batters (11 in his debut on Sept. 9 against the Athletics), walking four, and had an ERA+ of 179, along with a 0.6 wins above replacement (WAR).
During the postseason, Early went 0-1 in his Game 3 start of the Wildcard Round against the New York Yankees. He finished with a 7.36 ERA in 3.2 innings of work, giving up three earned runs, while striking out six in the process. Despite the short outing, Early did not come off rattled in his first postseason start, especially with it being in Yankee Stadium on the road. Overall, Early showed early poise for a guy who is only 23 years old and was a fifth-round pick back in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Mayo called Early his “Highest riser & humblest beginning” for the LHPs heading into 2026. He stated that Early, “..largely stayed off the radar with a fastball that sat in the 89-91 mph range. The Red Sox took him as a college performer in the fifth round that summer and have helped him find more velocity with a heater that averaged 93.6 mph and touched 97 last year. He wasn’t even on the team’s Top 30 Prospects list to start the 2024 season, then jumped to No. 10 ahead of the 2025 campaign before moving into Top 100 status for 2026.”
There have been projections that Early could find his way onto the Red Sox rotation going into ’26 behind Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Kyle Harrison/Johan Oviedo, or whoever else draws within the back-end of the rotation. Things could change if the Red Sox trade for a No. 2 between now and Spring Training, but don’t be surprised if Early finds his way as the No. 4 or No. 5 for Alex Cora to begin the season.
Pay the Tolle His Due
Another player who shined in ’25 and could be impactful for the Red Sox in ’26 is Payton Tolle. Mayo viewed Tolle’s fastball in the 70-grade tools, while his control was graded at 55. Compared to Early’s 60-grade changeup, Tolle has some zip on his 96 MPH fastball.
In seven games played, three started, Tolle finished with a 0-1 record with a 6.06 ERA in 16.1 innings of work. He struck out 19, while finishing with a 69 ERA+ and a -0.3 WAR. Tolle walked eight batters while giving up 11 earned runs over his limited work, but he did show some promise for a guy who flew through the Red Sox system last year.
Like Early, Tolle is 23 years old and was a second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. He is another young player who showed a lot of promise early and got some time in the Major League level with Boston. He played well, all things considered, and is viewed as a guy who at somepoint could be helpful in the rotation in ’26. Mayo thinks Tolle, like Early, can see some time with the Red Sox in ’26; he just needs to work on some things in Triple-A Worcester.
A distinct honor that Mayo gave to not only Early, but also Tolle is that he thinks either one of those guys could win Rookie of the Year for the American League. He stated that some baseball execs picked both guys to win the AL ROY honors in ’26, and he feels the same way. Mayo stated, “Six of the 10 on this list should impact the big leagues this coming season, but the Red Sox teammates have already done that. Both got votes in the executives’ survey for AL Rookie of the Year and both even got to test their mettle in the postseason. It was Early who drew a starting nod and had more initial success while Tolle went to the playoff ‘pen, but look for these two southpaws to push each other all year.
If there are two LHP prospects to watch in ’26, not just for the Red Sox but all of baseball, Early and Tolle are the guys. It’ll be interesting to see where both guys will begin the season after Spring Training, but make no mistake, these two will be must-watch baseball when it’s their start day.