Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

One of college baseball's best two-way players in two seasons at Wichita State, Tolle transferred to Texas Christian for 2024. While his large frame and well-above-average raw power brought to mind former Horned Frogs slugger/lefty pitcher Luken Baker, Tolle surprisingly struggled at the plate and focused more on pitching this spring. Relying primarily on his fastball, he won Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year honors while striking out 105 in 69 innings and working his way into the top three rounds.

Tolle uses his 6-foot-6 frame to create more extension (an average of 7 feet, 4 inches) in his delivery than most pitchers in this Draft. That enables his 90-92 mph fastball to play much better than its below-average velocity, and he shows the ability to run it in on lefties or bore it in on righties. His heater tops out at 96 and he uses it nearly three-quarters of the time, complementing it with an average sweeping slider that hovers around 80 mph.

Tolle barely employs his low-80s changeup with mild fade. He's a below-average athlete with average control at best, yet college hitters can't touch his heater. He's a polarizing prospect whose proponents extol his fastball metrics while others see him as more of a multi-inning reliever than a starter.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

One of college baseball's best two-way players in two seasons at Wichita State, Tolle transferred to Texas Christian for 2024. He surprisingly struggled at the plate and focused more on the mound this spring, winning Big 12 Conference pitcher of the year honors while striking out 105 in 69 innings. The Red Sox drafted him in the second round and signed him for an over-slot $2 million.

Tolle uses his 6-foot-6 frame to create more extension (an average of 7 feet, 4 inches) in his delivery than most pitchers in the 2024 Draft. That enables his 90-92 mph fastball to play much better than its below-average velocity, and he shows the ability to run it in on lefties or bore it in on righties. His heater tops out at 96, and he uses it nearly three-quarters of the time, complementing it with an average sweeping slider that hovers around 80 mph.

Tolle barely employs his mid-70s curveball or low-80s changeup with mild fade. He's a below-average athlete with average control at best, yet college hitters couldn't touch his heater. He's a polarizing prospect, and his proponents extol his fastball metrics while others see him as more of a multi-inning reliever than a starter.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/05/2024	LHP Payton Tolle assigned to FCL Red Sox.
	07/29/2024	Boston Red Sox signed LHP Payton Tolle.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated LHP Payton Tolle.
	04/03/2024	LHP Payton Tolle assigned to Falmouth Commodores.
	02/12/2024	LHP Payton Tolle assigned to TCU Horned Frogs.
	05/19/2023	Wichita State Shockers activated LHP Payton Tolle.
	05/19/2023	LHP Payton Tolle assigned to Wichita State Shockers.
	02/17/2022	LHP Payton Tolle and assigned to Wichita State Shockers.