Anthony Eyanson has been nearly impossible score upon in June, while Franklin Arias has continued to torment Double-A pitchers.
The Red Sox's top two prospects combined to lead Portland to a 5-2 win against Hartford at Dunkin' Park on Saturday night, with Eyanson tossing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and Arias crushing a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth. In 17 1/3 innings pitched this month, Eyanson sports an 0.52 ERA.
“I’m not taking anything for granted," the righty said, "and I'm pushing myself both mentally and physically as hard as I can. I’m just looking to keep stacking good days upon each other.”
MLB’s No. 67 prospect was locked in from the jump, allowing just one hit over his first four innings of work. When runners did manage to reach, Eyanson quickly erased them thanks to a pair of ground-ball double plays in both the first and fourth.
A key to his success has been his 60-grade fastball. Sitting in the mid 90s and topping out around 100 mph this spring, Eyanson has put in considerable time and effort to increase -- and maintain -- his fastball velocity.
“In the training room, its about having good movement that allows me to be rotational, strong through the delivery and have my arm prepared to throw harder,” Eyanson said. “But really, for me, it’s also been about throwing harder more often. In college, I was throwing twice a week in the bullpen and in a game, and now I’m throwing five times a week at a higher intensity.”
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In total, Eyanson’s arsenal generated a 20.7 percent whiff rate (six whiffs on 29 swings). The pair of strikeouts collected by the right-hander came courtesy of his 55-grade curveball, which retired both Roc Riggio (COL No. 10) and Cole Messina (COL No. 21).
With a strong feel for spin, MLB’s No. 10 right-handed pitching prospect feels both his slider and curveball are capable of producing whiffs.
“It’s a mix of matchups, talking to coaches and catchers in-between innings and also seeing the reactions of the hitters,” Eyanson said. “If they’re showing me they’re looking for a certain pitch, or a pitch at a certain speed, that is when I might start mixing in the slower curve or that down slider to try and get them to chase or roll over.”
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A little over year ago, Eyanson started his final college season slowly at Louisiana State after transferring from UC San Diego. However, as the season progressed, he played a key role in helping the Tigers win the 2025 national championship. Now, in his first taste of pro ball between High-A Greenville and Double-A, he ranks fourth in Boston's system with 64 strikeouts and would lead in ERA (1.07) and opponent batting average (.149) if he had enough requisite innings to qualify.
“Sometimes I’m out there throwing warmup pitches and think to myself, 'I’ve come a long way for a guy who grew up wanting to play football,'" Eyanson said. "It’s fun to be able to go back into my camera roll and go through memories of LSU, Lakewood High School or Lakewood Little League and see how far I’ve come.”
Eyanson set the tone for Portland, but it was MLB’s No. 10 prospect Franklin Arias who, while turning in a 2-for-4 day at the dish, broke things open late. His go-ahead blast pushed his season home run total to 15, most among all Red Sox prospects.
“He’s a freak," said Eyanson affectionately of Arias. "He's only 20 years old and I just think about what he’s gonna look like in two to three years. The sky’s the limit for him.”