Podcast Ep #383: Moving onto the Offseason

Ian is joined this week by Editor-in-Chief Mike Andrews to break down the Red Sox wild card series loss to the Yankees and where they go from here. They discussed some of the reasons the Red Sox lost and then the key areas they need to upgrade in the offseason. After that they touched on the start of the Arizona Fall League where both Luis Perales and Brandon Neely pitched on opening day. Finally, they wrap up the show by answering your emails!

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2025 SoxProspects.com Awards: Rookie, Breakout, and Comeback Players of the Year

We continue our SoxProspects.com Awards week with our Rookie, Breakout, and Comeback players of the year. Eligible Rookies will have fewer than 50 plate appearances or 15 innings pitched in their minor league careers. Comeback Player is awarded a player who has returned to prospect form from injury, poor performance, or a combination of the two. Breakout Player recognizes the player who made the greatest jump in prospect status during the season. The 2025 honorees include a member of the 2025 playoff roster, a pitcher who has overcome obstacles throughout his career, and a high-upside 18-year-old who showed advanced skills for his age. 

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Rookie of the Year: Payton Tolle

A unanimous selection among the SoxProspects.com staff, Tolle blazed through the minor leagues and found himself on a big-league mound in August. A second-round pick in the 2024 draft out of Texas Christian, fans were a bit surprised to see Tolle get a slightly above-slot bonus at the 50th overall pick. He was ranked 87th in the draft by MLB Pipeline and 82nd by Baseball America. But the Red Sox clearly liked him more than that, and the left-hander debuted with Greenville on April 8. His first start was one to forget, as he gave up six runs while only recording five outs. It ended up being his worst start of the year, and he responded quickly by striking out 76 and allowing 14 runs over his next 48 innings. 

He made his Double-A debut on June 28, but it only took him five weeks to completely overpower the Eastern League. His eye-popping numbers of a 1.67 ERA and 0.74 WHIP with Portland turned a lot of heads, and he was promoted to Worcester for what ended up being just a cup of coffee in Triple-A. His three starts with the WooSox saw him strike out 17 and walk only 2 over 15 innings while batters hit .193 against him. His major league debut was one of the highlights of the 2025 season for Red Sox fans as he struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings while leaving with a shutout until the bullpen let two inherited runners score. He ended the year in a bullpen role where he hit triple digits while connecting with fans due to his charisma on the mound. 

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2025 SoxProspects.com Awards: Graduate, Homegrown, and Ex-Prospect

We continue our SoxProspects.com Awards coverage with the 2025 Graduate, Homegrown Player, and Ex-Prospect of the year. The Graduate and Homegrown honorees both made significant contributions to the big-league club this year, while the Ex-Prospect Award recipient is someone who started the year in the middle of Boston's lineup. 

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Graduate of the Year: Roman Anthony

Anthony cemented himself as the top prospect in baseball in his two-plus months to begin the year in Worcester. He hit .288/.423/.491 with almost as many walks as strikeouts as a 20-year-old (turned 21 on May 13) in the International League. He was the Red Sox Minor League Hitter of the Month and the SoxProspects.com Player of the Month in April. When last year's winner of this award, Wilyer Abreu, went down with an oblique injury on June 9, Anthony was called up to take his place in right field. His performance barely took a dip in going from Triple-A to the majors, as he hit .292/.396/.463 over 71 games before an oblique injury ended his regular season on September 2.

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2025 SoxProspects.com All-Stars: Pitchers

Following up on Monday's post recognizing All-Star position players, we continue 2025 SoxProspects.com Awards week by shifting our focus to All-Star pitchers. This group includes two lefties who made their big league debuts this season, three trade acquisitions, and one undrafted free agent.

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Starting Pitcher: Payton Tolle

Tolle is a first-time SoxProspects.com All-Star after making quite the impression in his first full professional season. Selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2024 draft out of TCU, Tolle opened the 2025 campaign in Greenville but wasted very little time in moving up the organizational ladder. By late June, the 22-year-old left-hander was promoted to Portland. By early August, he was in Worcester. Between the three levels, he forged a 3.04 ERA with 133 strikeouts to 23 walks across 20 appearances (18 starts) spanning 91 2/3 total innings in which he held opponents to a .203 batting average. The 6-foot-6 southpaw was recognized as the Red Sox' Minor League Pitcher of the Year and made his MLB debut on Aug. 29, posting a 6.06 ERA with 19 strikeouts to eight walks in his first seven outings (three starts) and 16 1/3 innings for the big club. Equipped with an upper-90s fastball that can reach triple digits, Tolle is currently ranked as both the top pitching prospect and top overall prospect in the system.

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2025 SoxProspects.com All-Stars: Position Players

Welcome to the 2025 SoxProspects.com Awards week! Over the next five days, we will present our annual awards on the news page, recognizing the standout performers from the season. Following the format we've used the last few years, the schedule will be as follows:

Monday: All-Star position players

Tuesday: All-Star pitchers

Wednesday: Graduate of the Year; Homegrown Player of the Year; Ex-Prospect of the Year

Thursday: Rookie of the Year; Breakout Player of the Year; Comeback Player of the Year

Friday: Player of the Year; Pitcher of the Year

We kick things off with the All-Star position players as selected by the SoxProspects.com staff. While we consider factors such as age advancement and opponent quality, these awards recognize the players' in-game performances rather than a commentary on any status as a prospect. The All-Star team is highlighted by four players who made their major league debuts in 2024, two on the position player side.

 

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Catcher: Johanfran Garcia

After a knee injury that limited Garcia to just 14 games in 2024, he re-emerged with a strong 2025 campaign. Garcia started the year on the injured list as he continued to rehab, tuning up with a 12-game stint in the FCL before taking his spot in Greenville. He hit a solid .249/.327/.428 with the Drive, popping nine homers in 46 games. He caught in consecutive games for the first time on July 10 and 11, portending his healthy second half during which he slugged .500. Garcia is currently the 31st-ranked player in the system, highest at the catcher position. 

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