Tag: anthony eyanson

Red Sox to promote top pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson to Double-A Portland

After a handful of starts for High-A Greenville, Anthony Eyanson is ready to move up to the next level. The Red Sox are promoting the talented pitching prospect to Double-A Portland, according to Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Eyanson is just days removed from making his fifth (and perhaps final) start for Greenville at home this past Friday. Going up against Hub City at Fluor Field, the 21-year-old right-hander allowed one hit and three walks (the first three of his professional career) while striking out seven of the 15 batters he faced over 3 2/3 scoreless innings. He threw 67 pitches (37 strikes) and generated 11 whiffs.

In five starts for Greenville altogether, Eyanson posted a minuscule 0.44 ERA with 34 strikeouts to three walks over 20 1/3 innings. Opponents in the South Atlantic League batted just .104/.155/.149 against him. That includes a .114/.139/.114 line from right-handed hitters and a .094/.171/.188 line from left-handed hitters.

Among 26 South Atlantic League pitchers who had thrown at least 20 innings this year entering play Sunday, Eyanson led in batting average against, ERA, FIP (1.46), strikeouts per nine (15.05), strikeout rate (47.9%), swinging-strike rate (22%), WHIP (0.49), and xFIP (1.31). He also ranked third in groundball rate (59.4%) and walks per nine (1.33), and fourth in walk rate (4.2%), per FanGraphs.

Eyanson was selected by the Red Sox with the 87th overall pick in last summer’s draft out of Louisiana State (by way of UC San Diego). The California native received an over-slot $1.75 million signing bonus and stood out in his first spring training with the club by displaying significant velocity gains. He touched triple digits in the Spring Breakout game on March 20 before breaking camp with Greenville in early April.

Since making his pro debut one month ago, Eyanson — throwing from a high release point — has hovered between 95-97 mph and topped out at 98-99 mph with his fastball. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound hurler also incorporates an 86-88 mph slider, a cut-splitter, and a 79-80 mph high-spin curveball into his arsenal, which he described to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier as “very vertical.”

“I think north-south, and just keeping stuff over the plate and in the zone,” Eyanson told Speier last Thursday. “I’m trying to throw everything in the zone and just let the pitch move on its own, and let the hitter give himself his own problems.”

Eyanson, who does not turn 22 until October, entered 2026 as Baseball America’s No. 13 Red Sox prospect but now has legitimate top 100 buzz surrounding him. He is the first member of Boston’s 2025 draft class to reach Double-A and, like left-hander Payton Tolle a year ago, could be on the fast track to the major leagues.

First, though, comes a new challenge: facing more advanced competition in the upper minors with Portland. The Sea Dogs open a six-game series against New Hampshire at Hadlock Field on Tuesday.

(Picture of Anthony Eyanson: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox’ Anthony Eyanson off to eye-opening start at High-A Greenville

With the calendar flipping to May, the first month of Anthony Eyanson’s first full professional season is in the books. It ended without the talented Red Sox pitching prospect issuing a single walk.

Though he did hit a batter, Eyanson was otherwise in control for High-A Greenville. In four April starts, the 21-year-old right-hander posted a 0.54 ERA with 27 strikeouts to zero walks over 16 2/3 innings. Opposing hitters in the South Atlantic League batted just .109 against him.

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For Eyanson, each of those strikeouts carries extra meaning. As he explained to Baseball America’s Ian Cundall last month, Eyanson is donating money to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) for each strikeout he records this season. The motivation to do so stems from his own experience.

At the age of 10 in 2015, Eyanson was diagnosed with achalasia, a rare disorder that affects the esophagus and makes it hard to swallow. He underwent four procedures that summer and has been symptom-free since.

“I feel very normal now,” Eyanson told Cundall. “I have no problems eating pretty much all foods, which is a very big blessing.”

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Eyanson, who is scheduled to make his fifth start for Greenville against Hub City on Friday night, enters the weekend as one of 52 pitchers who have thrown at least 15 innings in the South Atlantic League this season. Among those 52, he leads in FIP (1.30), strikeouts per nine innings (14.58), strikeout rate (48.2%), swinging-strike rate (23.7%), walks per nine innings (0.00), walk rate (0.0%), WHIP (0.36), and xFIP (0.93). He also ranks second in batting average against, ERA, and groundball rate (63%), per FanGraphs.

Selected by the Red Sox with the 87th overall pick in last summer’s draft, Eyanson signed for an over-slot $1.75 million bonus. The Louisiana State product stood out in his first spring training in Fort Myers, displaying significant velocity gains and earning All-Spring Breakout Second Team honors. Alongside fellow top 2025 draftees (and SEC alums) Kyson Witherspoon and Marcus Phillips, Eyanson received a season-opening assignment to Greenville.

Since making his pro debut four weeks ago, Eyanson has featured a 94-96 mph fastball that has reached 99 mph. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound righty complements his heater with an 86-88 mph slider that may very well be his best pitch, a cut-splitter, and a 79-80 mph curveball. Baseball America recently identified him as one of 10 standout pitching prospects from April.

Eyanson, who does not turn 22 until October, was ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 13 prospect coming into 2026. Not only does the California native appear poised to climb that list, but he has also emerged as a prime candidate to crack the outlet’s top 100 “sooner or later.” He could further strengthen his case with a promotion to Double-A Portland, though such a move may still be weeks away given how the Red Sox have managed his workload thus far.

(Picture of Anthony Eyanson: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox’ Anthony Eyanson named to All-Spring Breakout Second Team after dazzling performance

It may have just been one inning of relief. Still, Red Sox pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson was unquestionably one of the standout performers in Friday night’s Spring Breakout showcase against the Orioles.

On Monday, Eyanson was recognized for his efforts, as he was named to the 2026 All-Spring Breakout Second Team by Major League Baseball.

Eyanson was the last pitcher the Red Sox used in Friday’s 3-1 loss to Orioles minor leaguers under the lights at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. The 21-year-old right-hander was both efficient and effective, needing only 14 pitches (10 strikes) to punch out the only three batters he faced (Jose Pena, Cobb Hightower, and Ethan Anderson) in order as part of a scoreless eighth inning.

Of the 14 pitches Eyanson threw, four were whiff-inducing. He mixed in a fastball that averaged 99.1 mph and topped out at 100.2 mph, an 88-90 mph splitter, and an 82-83 mph curveball. All three of his strikeouts were recorded on his wipeout curveball, as he got two looking and one swinging.

“Obviously, I wanted to show off what I’ve been working on as far as the fastball and the splitter, and I feel like I did that tonight,” Eyanson told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier). “[I] really feel myself expanding as a pitcher, being able to use that splitter when I fall behind, getting that arm-side action, giving me a lot more options, especially with the fastball carrying and being a lot harder now. It’s just a lot different.”

For Eyanson, lighting up the radar gun to this extent has not always been the standard. The California native was selected by the Red Sox with the 87th overall pick in last summer’s draft out of Louisiana State, where he typically sat between 92-94 mph and topped out at 97 mph in his lone season with the Tigers. Since signing for an over-slot $1.75 million and subsequently immersing himself in Boston’s pitching development program, however, Eyanson has experienced a significant uptick in velocity.

“The velo jump is hard to ignore,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said of Eyanson when speaking with MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. “He was mostly 93-95 in college, I know he touched 97, but he’s been sitting 96-98 this spring with secondaries that are advanced for where he is. He just has a really good feel for the baseball, feel to spin the ball, and can challenge the strike zone.”

As a result of reaching triple digits for the first time in a game setting on Friday, Eyanson is now the proud owner of a “Fuego” t-shirt, which the Red Sox award to all pitchers who throw 100 mph. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound righty is currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the organization’s No. 10 prospect, while Baseball America has him slightly lower at No. 13.

Alongside fellow 2025 draftees (and SEC products) Kyson Witherspoon and Marcus Phillips, Eyanson has been the talk of minor league spring training for the Red Sox in Fort Myers. Even before officially making his professional debut (which he will likely do for High-A Greenville next month), Eyanson’s stock is already on the rise.

“It’s crazy to see the amount of progress that I’ve made,” Eyanson said. “I’m really excited. I feel almost like a brand new pitcher.”

(Picture of Anthony Eyanson: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)