The Boston Red Sox just received a phenomenal debut from their top pitching prospect in Payton Tolle, who pitched the lights out against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although the Sox lost, the Pirates still had plenty of respect for the rookie.
Pirates star and future legend Andrew McCutchen was one of them, as he compared Tolle to another former Red Sox superstar: Chris Sale.
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"He kind of reminds me of Chris Sale a little bit with his arm angle and his extension. He's obviously bigger than he is, but just from the way he was releasing it, it felt a lot like Sale. Obviously Sale has the better secondary stuff, but the fastball plays and I felt like it plays like Sale. He has electric stuff. His fastball is electric,” McCutchen stated (via Ian Browne).
Tolle did have an amazing outing, going 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts, and only gave up two runs, which were both only given up by the reliever who came in for him.
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Tolle also was pumping fastballs in there, as McCutchen said. He topped out at 99.2 miles per hour, and was hitting 99 and 98 multiple times.
Overall, it looks like Tolle is here to stay. He’s proven he can pitch at the major league level, and even opposing players believe he’s got potential. If he can keep this talent working through October, the Sox will be a force to be reckoned with.
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