Connelly Early is expected to get his second start with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday at Fenway Park against the Athletics. Early was strong in his major league debut last week, striking out 11 and allowing and five hits with a walk over five scoreless innings in a win over the A’s.
Here in Maine, we remember the lefty as an ace in the Portland Sea Dogs’ rotation. It’s not like we have to search our memory banks. Early was a Sea Dog until late July, when he was promoted to Triple-A Worcester.
Payton Tolle’s time in Portland was briefer, a six-week midsummer sprint in which he appeared in six games, including five starts. It felt like Tolle was a tourist, in town less than one of those massive cruise ships that blocks out the sun in the Old Port.
That’s the new normal with the top prospects in the Red Sox minor league system. They do not linger in Portland. They do not linger anywhere.
The Portland Sea Dogs’ season ended Sunday with a 64-71 record, which on its face is mediocre. But when you look at how the team helped develop some of Boston’s top prospects, it’s obvious manager Chad Epperson and his coaching staff did their job.
For the Red Sox, life in the minor leagues isn’t all about quantity. It’s not about collecting experience for experience’s sake, it’s what did you do with your time on the field.
If you dominate in Single-A Greenville, you are going to Portland. It you make Double-A competition look silly, you can pack your car and head a couple hours south to Worcester. The Red Sox see no reason for you to remain at a level and collect more gaudy stats. They will promote you. They will shove you out of your comfort zone.
Both Epperson and Brian Abraham, the Red Sox director of player development, have said it many times. They’re less interested in how you handle success. They want to know how you handle failure.
Double-A has long been professional baseball’s proving ground. If you reach this level, we know you can play. For many players, Double-A is the first time the game becomes hard. If they still excel, the test they’ve passed is as mental as it is physical.
Double-A pitchers know they have to pound the strike zone against hitters more disciplined and ready to pounce on mistakes. Double-A hitters know they might get one or two pitches each at-bat that they can barrel up and drive. “Do damage,” as they say.
For the players, it’s great. Produce and you will be rewarded. For fans in Maine, it means less of a chance to follow the players on their way to “The Show.” Part of the fun of the Sea Dogs is knowing that any time you go to a game at Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field, you are seeing a player who will be a big leaguer.
From his call-up in late July 2024 from Greenville to his promotion to the WooSox this season, Early made 20 starts in Double-A, throwing just 107 2/3 innings for the Sea Dogs. His time in Worcester went even quicker, six starts and 28 2/3 innings.
Payton Tolle’s trip through the minors this season was at hyperspeed. After Boston drafted Tolle last summer, he began 2025 in Greenville, skipping Low-A Salem entirely. He was in Portland by the end of June and Worcester in early August. After a solid debut in Boston, he struggled in back-to-back starts. How does he handle that first taste of failure? We’re finding out.
Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, pitcher David Sandlin and infielder Mikey Romero each were Portland quick timers. This is how the Red Sox have used the minor leagues for a while now. Brayan Bello was here for the second half of 2021 and the start of 2022. He was in Boston that season, and he took his lumps. Now, Bello has become one of Boston’s most reliable starters. We’ll see if Early and Tolle follow the same career arc, but early indications are they’ll be in the mix for spots at the back end of Boston’s rotation next season.
This season we saw a few players reach Boston after fast tracks through the minors. In one case, Kristian Campbell started hot, cooled off, and slumped to the point of a demotion back to Triple-A, where he’s worked on a number of things, including finding the confidence that made baseball easy and a quick ascent through the minors possible.
In another case, Roman Anthony struggled early in his big league career before figuring things out. By the time of his unfortunate oblique injury, Anthony was Boston’s best everyday player. Anthony played 94 games with Portland. Campbell played 56.
That’s the way it is now. If a prospect plays well in Portland, he won’t be here long. Shortstop Franklin Arias got a 10-game taste of Double-A life over the last few weeks. He’s 19 and likely will begin the 2026 season as a Sea Dog. Just a hunch, if you want to see Arias play next season, put on a sweater and visit Hadlock in April.
