Mar 7, 2015; Sarasota, FL, USA; A general view of Boston Red Sox hat and glove laying in the dugout at a spring training baseball game at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Red Sox 23-Year-Old Generating National Buzz Ahead of Rookie Season

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Feb 20, 2026 8:00 PM ET

There are a lot of youngsters in the Boston Red Sox organization whose stocks are appreciating. But perhaps no one has had more of a rise since this time last year than Connelly Early.

Early, 23, began last year in Double-A. By the end of the year, he was starting an elimination game at Yankee Stadium, and he frankly held his own quite well in that game despite being saddled with the loss in a 4-0 Red Sox snoozefest.

Early won't be surprising anyone this spring, but the hype train seems to just be gathering steam. On Friday, the young southpaw was singled out by a new national outlet as a potential breakout performer this season.

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Connelly Early growing audience during offseason

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter named a breakout candidate on each major league team's pitching staff, and had sound logic for why he selected Early to represent Boston.

"While Payton Tolle was the more hyped pitching prospect, Early outperformed him in September and parlayed that into a postseason start," Reuter wrote. "Even if he starts the year at Triple-A, he should be the first starter called on when reinforcements are needed, and his brilliant 29-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 19.1 innings was a good tease of his long-term potential."

Just before spring training, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com named Early as the most "intriguing" Boston prospect who could make an impact this season in the majors.

In a sillier, but more viral moment of the offseason, Early faced YouTuber Eric Sim in live at-bats, and blew the former minor-leaguer away with his 95-plus mph heat at 8:30 in the morning, coupled with a knee-buckling slider.

I Faced Boston Red Sox Pitcher Connelly Early.

He was Sitting 95MPH at 8:30AM…Diabolical@ConnellyEarly pic.twitter.com/dbEod85oom
— KingofJUCO (@KingofJUCO) January 27, 2026

Even more recently, Early was ranked 38th overall on Fangraphs' preseason top prospects list. It's clear that the youngster has earned the respect of the national media, not just those of us who follow the Red Sox like watchdogs.

It's kind of crazy to think that after all of that, Early is staring at a start to the season in Triple-A. But it's not about starts, but finishes, which Early knows better than anyone after last season. This time around, everyone will be expecting him to show out.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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