Pirates’ Paul Skenes Will Face Red Sox Phenom

Tolle will make his MLB debut against Skenes, in this just his first year playing professional baseball, with a quick rise through the minor leagues.

The Red Sox selected Tolle with the 50th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of TCU.

Tolle hails from Bethany, Okla., about 12 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. He started all four years at Bethany High School and was a captain his final three years, excelling as a senior in 2021, where he hit .490 and threw 106 strikeouts, a school record.

He then attended Wichita State, where he spent two seasons, serving as a two-way player, as both a starting pitcher and designated hitter/first baseman.

Tolle posted a 4-6 record over 12 starts in 13 appearances as a freshman in 2022, with a 4.48 ERA over 66.1 innings pitched, 49 strikeouts to 22 walks and a 1.51 WHIP. He also slashed .317/.357/.471 for an OPS of .828, with 33 hits in 104 at-bats, seven doubles, three home runs, 18 RBIs and six walks to 27 strikeouts.

He improved as a sophomore in 2023, where he finished with a 9-3 record in 14 starts in 15 appearances, with a 4.62 ERA over 85.2 innings pitched, 97 strikeouts to 19 walks and a 1.17 WHIP. He also slashed .311/.361/.538 for an OPS of .898 in 55 games, 66 hits in 212 at-bats, nine doubles, 13 home runs, 50 RBIs and 18 walks to 53 strikeouts

Tolle earned recognition, incuding Second Team All-American honors from NCBWA, Baseball America, ABCA, and Third Team All-American honors from Perfect Game and D1Baseball.

He transferred to TCU for his junior season in 2024, where he finished with a 7-4 record in 14 starts, a 3.21 ERA over 81.1 innings pitched, 125 strikeouts to 37 walks and a 1.16 WHIP. He spent less time as a hitter and struggled, slashing .182/.303/.327 for an OPS of .630 in 28 games.

Tolle earned both Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors, plus Second Team All-American honors from D1Baseball and NCBWA and Third Team All-American honors from Perfect Game and ABCA. His strikeouts also ranked second in the Big 12 and 11th in Division I.

He moved incredibly quickly through the Red Sox system, starting with High-A Greenville, moving on to Double-A Portland on June 24, Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 6 and now Boston just three weeks later.

Tolle has made 18 starts in 20 appearances in 2025 across the minor leagues, with a 3-5 record, a 3.04 ERA over 91.2 innings pitched, 133 strikeouts to 22 walks, a .203 opposing batting average and a 0.99 WHIP.

His strikeouts lead all pitchers in the Red Sox farm system and his 36.5% K Rate is the third best amongst almost 300 minor leagues pitchers this season, according to Sam Dykstra of MLB.com.

Tolle has a dominant fastball, that reaches generally around 94-96 mph, but hit as high as 98 mph in Triple-A. He also has a cutter around 89-91 mph, a changeup that hits in the higher 80-mph range, a slider that'a round the middle 80-mph range and a curveball that is in the low 80-mph range.

MLB Pipeline ranks Tolle as Boston's top pitching prospect and 28th overall in the minor leagues. They also gave him scouting grades of Fastball (65), Slider (50), Changeup (45), Control (55) and Overall (55).