The Boston Red Sox have debuted multiple top prospects this year, and the organization's new batch of young pitching talent has been on show. Connelly Early is the latest top prospect to make his big league debut.
Early stunned against the A's in his first outing with the Red Sox. The 23-year-old posted five scoreless innings, let up five hits and logged a staggering 11 strikeouts to tie Don Aase for the most Ks logged by any Red Sox pitcher in their MLB debut.
Early will make his second big league start on September 16, his first at Fenway Park. He'll face the A's again and, hopefully, pick up right where he left off (subscription required). Boston is in the heat of its Wild Card chase and its offense has struggled while Roman Anthony rehabs an oblique strain, but Early has met the moment so far.
Craig Breslow has revolutionized the Red Sox's pitching and pitcher development system since he was hired as chief baseball officer before the 2024 season. But some of the changes in Boston's pitching staff predate his hiring. Boston's former chief baseball officer, Chaim Bloom, also played a part in the Sox's farm system's recent dominance.
Connelly Early is the latest top prospect drafted by Chaim Bloom to debut for the Red Sox
Connelly Early ties Don Aase (1977) for the most strikeouts by a @RedSox pitcher in his big league debut!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 10, 2025
5 IP | 5 H | 0 R | 1 BB | 11 K pic.twitter.com/aHC9VInmiP
Bloom selected Early in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, and it didn't take the young lefty long to rocket up through the Sox's minor league system. He began the 2025 season in Double-A and he was promoted to Worcester on July 29. He posted a 2.60 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, 132 strikeouts and 40 walks over 100.1 innings across both levels.
Evidence of Bloom's tenure in Boston exists up and down its roster, and Early's excellent is the latest feather in his cap. The former Red Sox CBO also drafted Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, Hunter Dobbins, Luis Guerrero, along with Chase Meidroth and Kyle Teel, two of the four players Breslow traded for Garrett Crochet over the 2024-25 offseason.
It's easy to credit Brelsow for revamping the Red Sox's pitching development and staff, but he couldn't have done so to this extent without Bloom's contributions to their pool of pitching and position player prospects. If Early continues shoving throughout Boston's quest for a Wild Card berth, the Red Sox and their fans may owe Bloom another "thank you" note.