3 Rising Red Sox Pitching Prospects
Brandon Clarke, Payton Tolle, Juan Valera
In this article, I cover 3 Boston Red Sox pitching prospects that have surged their way up Prospect rankings in the early going of the 2025 season. Each of these arms could be considered Top 100 Prospects right now and highlight the fantastic work of the Red Sox scouting and development staff.
Brandon Clarke
Brandon Clarke is a big-framed fire balling lefty that has torn through the lower minors with his electric fastball and slider. Clarke has an ideal build for a pitcher, complete with a low 3/4 slot, long limbs, and over 7 ft of extension. The outlook coming out of the draft had Clarke lined up to be a multi-inning reliever given his high effort delivery and inconsistent strike throwing ability. This however did not deter the Red Sox from stretching him out as a starter. He has gradually increased in workload and his production did not miss a beat.
His primary fastball is a sinker which sits in the uppers 90s, topping out at 100 MPH, with over a foot of arm-side run. It won't miss many bats, but it has been exceptional at inducing ground balls thus far. He also weaves in a 4-Seamer which has more cutting action but lacks the ride to be more than an average offering. Clarke's slider is his most used pitch with nearly 50% usage. It sits 87-88 MPH where its 10" of sweep makes it incredibly difficult for batters to pick up when it is located in the bottom of the zone. It has returned gaudy whiff numbers and has arguably been the most valuable pitch in MiLB this season. Clarke's ability to spin the ball allows his low 80s curveball to generate immense 2-plane movement. He does not have the greatest feel for the pitch, but its shape alone should return strong swing and miss numbers. Clarke's biggest hurdle to being a big-league starter will be improving his changeup, which is essentially non-existent at the moment.
Right now, Clarke is a 2-pitch pitcher, and that is all he really needs to be unhittable in the lower levels of MiLB. His incredible arm speed and strong underlying pitch traits provide him the helium to storm up the Red Sox pipeline. Adding in that crucial 3rd offering is imperative for his prospects as a starter, however he has the stuff to be a dynamic bullpen piece for Boston right now.
Payton Tolle
Payton Tolle was selected 50th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft after an impressive showing at TCU where he flashed a solid 3-pitch mix supported by elite extension. Tolle does an excellent job utilizing his large 6'5" frame to get down the mound which generates nearly 7.5' of extension. This large stride pairs well with his low 3/4 release to create a distinct look with a deceptively low release point.
Tolle's fastball has garnered the most benefit from his release as its 93-95 MPH velocity looks like upper 90s heat. Additionally, its ~16" iVB from his 5.7 ft release point leads to a flatter approach on his fastball as it whizzes through the zone. It is running a nearly 50% Whiff this season and Tolle does a strong job at locating it in the zone and getting ahead of batters early. Tolle has started throwing a sinker which hovers around 90 MPH and functions more like an offspeed pitch due to its movement differential from his fastball. Tolle's lone breaking ball is a mid 80s slider with 2-plane action with slight glove-side movement and ride. He rounds out his arsenal with an unpolished changeup that sits 86-88 MPH. It has returned underwhelming results thus far, but he has exhibited a good feel for the offering despite its low usage.
Tolle's extreme extension and unique look from his lefty slot makes him an intriguing pitching prospect. He has the frame to eat up a lot of innings and is on the trajectory to being a consensus Top 100 Prospect later in 2025.
Juan Valera
Juan Valera is one of the highest variance arms in Boston's pipeline, but that did not phase the Red Sox as they launched him to Hi-A before his 19th birthday. He has a prototypical stater's build and has taken big strides in the command department this season with a greatly improved Strike% and better feel for the zone. His delivery is smooth, and he repeats it well with incredible arm speed.
His arsenal is headlined by a high 90s cut-ride fastball that can hit triple digits on a dime. Its shape isn't ideal as it lacks both strong ride and cutting action, but its velocity helps carry it to plus status. As he develops, either a bump in velocity or a more refined shape could propel it to a plus-plus offering. His fastball has returned strong results this season, and more impressive has been his command of the pitch at its high speeds. Valera tosses a pair of sliders: a harder gyro and a sweeper. His gyro slider sits in the high 80s with tight movement. It is his primary breaking ball of choice, however he has started to weave in more sweepers into the mix. Both pitches are solidly plus offerings and flash plus-plus traits. Valera's rounds out his arsenal with a changeup that lives in the low 90s and exhibits approximately a foot of horizontal and vertical separation from his fastball. Its shape is promising and could very well be an above average offering as he develops a better feel for the pitch.
The Red Sox's aggressiveness in Valera's assignment to Hi-A was rather alarming, which indicates that Boston has the utmost confidence that he could excel against higher level competition. He has ticked a lot of boxes this season and is holding his own at 19 years old. He has the potential to be one of the Red Sox best prospect arms very soon.
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