Underrated Prospects from the Paul Toboni Drafts

The Nationals have made a huge decision for the future of the organization, naming Paul Toboni as the new Head of Baseball Operations. Toboni, like former GM Mike Rizzo, has a strong scouting background on his path to this role. Unlike Rizzo, Toboni represents a new generation of baseball executives, blending his experience as an area scout with a heavy emphasis on analytics. Research and development are key among his priorities, and that emphasis was clear during his time with the Boston Red Sox.

After years as an area scout and assistant director of amateur scouting, Toboni was promoted to Director of Amateur Scouting (and later VP of Amateur Scouting and Player Development) in the fall of 2019. This means Toboni oversaw the Red Sox drafts from 2020 to 2023. Although he was promoted to Assistant GM in the fall of 2023, it’s reasonable to assume he played a major role in the 2024 and 2025 drafts as well.

While his larger responsibilities will now pull his attention away from the draft, it’s safe to assume he will hire someone who aligns with his vision for scouting and player development. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the many successes the Red Sox had during his years overseeing the draft. While players like Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Payton Tolle are well-known, it’s worth highlighting some of the lesser-celebrated gems unearthed under his leadership.

Chase Meidroth, IF

When the White Sox traded Garrett Crochet to Boston, Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel—both former first-rounders—headlined the deal. However, Meidroth was a very nice grab for the White Sox. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of UC San Diego, Meidroth was a consistent performer in the Red Sox system. Known for his disciplined approach and advanced contact ability, he walked more than he struck out during his junior year and never posted lower than a 116 wRC+ across his 225 games in the Boston organization.

Though he’s never shown much power, Meidroth has continued to excel at what he does best: making contact and limiting whiffs. His contact rates, swinging-strike rates, and chase rates have remained well above average. Since his promotion to the White Sox this spring, he’s recorded a 1.8 fWAR season in 120 games. His wRC+ has been slightly below the league average at 92, but he also hit .260 with a .337 on-base percentage and stole 13 bases. His 92% zone-contact rate is especially impressive. More importantly, he’s been excellent defensively at both shortstop and second base. While he may not project as an impact player, Meidroth has proven to be a valuable bottom-of-the-lineup bat who makes consistent contact and plays strong defense.

Connelly Early, LHP

While Payton Tolle has received most of the pitching hype out of the Red Sox system, Early has been nearly as impressive this season. The 2023 fifth-rounder out of UVA posted a solid 2024 campaign with a 3.99 ERA, a 3.24 FIP, and an excellent 30.8% strikeout rate to 8.7% walk rate over 103 innings between High-A and Double-A. This season, Early took things up another level, recording a 2.60 ERA, 2.74 FIP, and 31.9% strikeout rate. He’s been one of the best pitchers in the minors this year and has impressed in his first MLB stint, posting a 1.88 ERA and 0.91 FIP in 14 big league innings, including an impressive Wild Card start.

A few years ago, the Red Sox farm system showed more growth with bats than arms. While Brayan Bello emerged as a notable talent, many other pitchers lacked strikeout stuff. Early is the opposite—striking out over 30% of batters during his time in Boston while showing average to above-average command.

The Nationals’ farm system has long lacked true swing-and-miss pitchers outside of Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana. Early (and Tolle) exemplify the type of arms Toboni may look to bring into the organization now that he’s in charge. While Early wasn’t a high-profile prospect, he’s established himself as a legitimate future starter for the Red Sox.

Niko Kavadas, 1B

A key part of the draft process isn’t only developing players for the major league roster but also creating trade assets to improve the MLB team. One player who fit that mold was Niko Kavadas. The power-hitting first baseman from Notre Dame was an 11th-round pick in 2021. Kavadas showed solid progression in the Red Sox system, and after starting 2024 in Triple-A, he was traded to the Angels in a package for reliever Luis García.

While Kavadas has well-documented contact concerns, his approach at the plate mirrors what you’d expect from a productive power hitter, with an excellent pull-fly-ball profile. Overall, he has hit 97 home runs in 462 minor league games—67 of them in the Boston system. Though he struggled in 40 MLB games with the Angels, his story underscores the value of late-round picks as trade pieces or depth assets for an organization.

Hayden Mullins (LHP) / Tyler Uberstine (RHP)

Mullins and Uberstine are strong examples of late-round arms developing into solid pitching prospects. Mullins, a 12th-round pick in 2022, and Uberstine, a 19th-round pick in 2021, have both been effective starters in the Boston system. Both consistently post strikeout rates in the high 20s to low 30s. Although each has had control issues, their ability to miss bats gives them MLB potential. Both could ultimately transition to bullpen roles, but their profiles highlight the type of strikeout-oriented arms the Nationals have struggled to develop.

Brandon Clarke, LHP

Rounding out the group is a member of the 2024 MLB Draft class. While Payton Tolle garnered the most attention, Brandon Clarke briefly vaulted himself into Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects. After just 9.2 innings in Low-A Salem, Clarke earned a promotion to High-A by striking out 47.2% of batters faced and walking just 5.6%. Although his control worsened after the promotion (walking 18.1% of hitters), he demonstrated some of the filthiest raw stuff in the minors.

Clarke’s fastball sits in the upper 90s and can overpower hitters despite minimal movement. His mid-80s slider plays exceptionally well from a three-quarters arm slot, giving it heavy deception. While command remains the big question mark, his raw stuff alone gives him ace-level potential—or at least the arsenal to thrive as a high-leverage bullpen weapon.