Connelly Early: College| Fangraphs| West point| Wiki| Game log

Introduction

Connelly Early is an emerging left-handed pitcher in American baseball currently with the Boston Red Sox organization. He first came into wider attention during his collegiate career at West Point (Army) and later at the University of Virginia. His statistical footprint on Fangraphs, Baseball-Reference, and his own game logs highlight both his strengths and his developmental trajectory. This article will delve into his background, college career, West Point days, Fangraphs metrics, wiki profile, and detailed game log performances.

Early Life and Background

• Full Name: Todd Connelly McNeil Early

• Date of Birth: April 3, 2002

• Place of Birth / Hometown: Midlothian, Virginia.

• High School: James River High School (Center for Leadership and International Relations) in Virginia.

In high school, he earned multiple honors: All-State, All-Region, All-Metro pitcher, and recognition by Perfect Game (Preseason All-American and All-Tournament). He was also a member of the National Honor Society.

College Career: West Point & Transfer to Virginia

West Point (Army Black Knights)

Connelly Early began his college baseball journey at the United States Military Academy (West Point). He played for the Army Black Knights and built a strong profile as a starter in the Patriot League.

2021 Season (Freshman)

• Appearances: 14 games, 2 starts

• Record: 4–2

• ERA: 2.23 (second lowest on the Army staff)

• Strikeouts: 39

• WHIP: 1.13 (lowest on the team)

• Batted average against: .185

These figures established him early as a dependable presence on the mound for Army.

2022 Season (Sophomore)

• Appearances: 16, with 14 starts

• Record: 7–4

• Innings Pitched: 85.2 innings

• ERA: 3.26

• Strikeouts: 88 (team highest)

• Opponents’ batting average: .219

• Notable highlights:

  • Tossed his first complete game (7 innings) vs. Navy on April 23.

  • Struck out a career-high nine batters in consecutive starts vs Bucknell (April 30) and Lehigh (May 7).

  • In the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional (vs. Southern Miss), he threw 6 innings, allowing just one earned run and fanned eight batters.

His success in 2022 earned him Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-Patriot League honors, and recognition on the ABCA/Rawlings All-Northeast Region Second Team. He also was awarded the Colonel Russell P. “Red” Reeder Baseball Award as the most valuable player at West Point for that year.

After his sophomore season, Early transferred to the University of Virginia to further develop at a higher level of college competition.

Virginia Cavaliers

Once at Virginia, Early faced tougher competition and refined his skills further.

In the 2023 season:

• He tied Virginia’s single-season record with 12 wins.

• Earned All-America honors from NCBWA (First Team), Perfect Game (Second Team), and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (Third Team).

• He was named Charlottesville Regional Most Outstanding Player after striking out 10 in 6.1 innings against East Carolina in the Regional Final.

• He led UVA in wins and had multiple quality starts.

• Ranked in the ACC and NCAA in categories like ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio, walks per nine innings, and WHIP.

Virginia’s official site also notes that prior to transferring, Early had logged 122 innings across two seasons at Army, notching 127 strikeouts and maintaining a 2.95 career ERA at Army.

Draft and Professional Entry

In the 2023 MLB Draft, Connelly Early was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round, 151st overall. He received a signing bonus of approximately $408,500.

Early’s assignment in the Red Sox’s minor-league system began with the Salem Red Sox (Single-A). Over time, he moved through the ranks, pitching at higher levels including High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.

By 2025, he was recognized as one of Boston’s top pitching prospects.

MLB Debut and Early Major League Performance

Connelly Early was promoted to the Boston Red Sox’s 40-man roster on September 9, 2025, making his MLB debut that very night. In that debut, he struck out 11 batters over 5.0 innings, tying a franchise rookie record previously held by Don Aase (1977).

As of end of 2025 (per available sources):

• MLB record: 1–2

• ERA: 2.33

• Strikeouts: 29

• WHIP: 1.09

Before his call-up, in the 2025 minor-league campaign split between Portland and Worcester, Early went 10–3 with a 2.60 ERA and tallied 132 strikeouts.

Fangraphs Profile & Advanced Metrics

Fangraphs maintains a detailed profile for Connelly Early, including his pitching splits, game charts, and metrics that help evaluate performance beyond the traditional box score.

• Pitch Type Splits: Fangraphs tracks how Early uses his pitches, velocity trends, and how each pitch performs in different settings.

• Game Charts: His game-by-game performance charts (for example, showing his roles as starter vs relief, pitch counts, etc.) are available via Fangraphs’ “Game Charts” interface.

• Acquisition & Role Info: According to Fangraphs, Early is currently in a rotation role (RR) and was acquired via the 2023 draft, Round 5, overall pick 151.

These advanced metrics are especially useful for scouts, analysts, and devoted fans who want to dig deeper than the surface-level stats.

Wiki Profile

The Wikipedia page for Connelly Early offers a solid summary of his life, career, and statistics:

• It states his birth details, batting/throwing handedness (Left / Left), position, and team affiliation (Boston Red Sox).

• It confirms his MLB debut date (September 9, 2025) and interim stats: 1–2 record, 2.33 ERA, 29 strikeouts.

• The page also summarizes his amateur path: high school, Army, Virginia, draft, and early professional steps.

• It mentions that in his debut, he tied a franchise rookie strikeout record with 11 K’s.

Because Wikipedia is a publicly editable platform, its content should always be cross-referenced with official or primary sources (which we have above).

Game Log Highlights & Key Appearances

Here is a closer look at some key outings from his 2025 MLB game log, derived from ESPN’s log:

2025 MLB Regular Season (Boston Red Sox)

• In his debut on September 9, 2025, against the Oakland Athletics, Early delivered 5.0 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts, walking 1 and allowing 5 hits. He earned the win — an exceptional start to his MLB career.

• On September 16, he tossed 5.1 innings, yielding 1 run, striking out 7, and giving up no walks. That evening improved his cumulative ERA to ~0.87.

• His outing September 21 (4.0 innings, 3 H, 2 R, 9 K) added to his workload, though he took no decision.

• On September 27, facing Detroit, Early took his first MLB loss. Over 5.0 innings, he gave up 2 runs, struck out 7, and walked 1.

These four starts constitute his entire MLB game log (so far) for the 2025 regular season per ESPN.

Strengths, Weaknesses, and Prospect Outlook

Strengths

1. Strikeout Ability: From his collegiate days (e.g., 88 strikeouts in 2022 at Army) to his 11 K debut in MLB, Early demonstrates a strong capacity to miss bats.

2. Command and Control: In several outings, he limited walks (e.g., 1 walk in his debut). That suggests good command for a young lefty.

3. Consistency & Durability: At West Point, he started many games (14 out of 16 in 2022) and in Virginia, he matched record win totals.

4. Adaptability: Successfully transitioning from Patriot League competition to ACC, and then into the professional ranks, he has shown adaptability.

Areas for Growth

• Sustaining Velocity / Second-Half Durability: As with many pitchers, the second half of a season may pose challenges. Keeping velocity and sharpness deep into the year will be important.

• Refinement of Secondary Pitches: To succeed long term in MLB, continued development of breaking and offspeed pitches (consistency in location, deception) will be needed.

• Adjusting to MLB Hitter Adjustments: MLB hitters adjust quickly; Early will need to show the ability to adjust in turn.

• Innings Load Management: As he accumulates innings across minor and major leagues, careful management will be crucial, especially as a lefty with potential workload stress.

Prospect Outlook

Boston sees Early as a premium left-handed arm. As of June 2025, he was ranked as the organization’s No. 1 left-handed prospect. His path to steady MLB rotation time may require strong performance in Triple-A and command over adjustments by major league teams. But his performance in rookie outings and advanced metrics suggests he has a legitimate shot to stick.

Conclusion

Connelly Early stands as a compelling young pitcher whose journey from West Point to UVA to the Red Sox’s organization exemplifies both ambition and growth. His strong track record in college, his Fangraphs-supported advanced metrics, and a promising MLB debut all point to a high ceiling. While he has many challenges ahead, his combination of strikeout ability, command, and adaptability gives him a solid foundation.

As he continues to accumulate starts and innings in the major leagues, fans, analysts, and scouts alike will be watching his game logs, Fangraphs splits, and adjustments. In a few years, Connelly Early may well be a household name among baseball enthusiasts.