Payton Tolle Well On His Way To Becoming a Face of Baseball

Twenty-five of the 26 players on the Boston Red Sox postseason roster for the Wild Card Series loss to the New York Yankees are watching the World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays from home. All except rookie left-hander Payton Tolle, who is serving as a player social media correspondent with boots-on-the-ground coverage. Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement and recently retired Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas will also participate.

Based on his play alone, the 23-year-old starter is one of the sport's most exciting players. In 26 starts, Tolle posted a 3.03 ERA, the fifth-lowest mark among American League rookie starters and seventh-lowest in baseball. He also finished in the top five among American League rookie starters in strikeouts per nine innings (10.35, 3rd), walks per nine innings (2.42, 4th), home runs per nine innings (0.91, 4th), WHIP (1.10, T-2nd), fielding independent pitching (3.04, 1st), and fWAR (4.1, 2nd).

Not only was Tolle one of the best rookie pitchers in the sport, but he was among the best pitchers in baseball upon being recalled from Worcester on April 23, ranking in the top 15 among 47 qualified starters in ERA (11th), strikeouts per nine (11th), walks per nine (15th), WHIP (12th), home runs per nine (T-13th), FIP (8th) and fWAR (T-7th). 

However, his personality might be just as electric as his performance on the field, living by a motto from his late mother, Jina, reminding him to "Be a Tigger. Not an Eeyore." Whether it be hugging a base runner rather than tagging him out on a weakly hit ground ball back to the mound, doing a push-up after slipping on the mound, or cracking a smile before striking out the final batter of an immaculate inning, Tolle is not afraid to show how much fun he is having playing the game. "That's how I like playing the game," Tolle said on MLB Network's 'Intentional Talk'. "That's how I wanna show 40,000 people why I love it. It's an honor to play the game every day," he continued. Tolle's joy on the field makes him a perfect choice to serve as a player correspondent for the World Series. 

As expected, the 23-year-old is excelling in his role through the first two days of coverage. During Thursday's media day, Tolle asked Rays superstar third baseman Junior Caminero how he hit a well-placed curveball well below the zone over the Green Monster for a home run in a regular-season matchup between the two sides, and why he did it.

Ahead of Friday night's Game 1 at American Family Field, Tolle headed to the parking lots for what he called "the best tailgating scene in baseball," interviewing fans preparing for the Brewers' first World Series appearance since 1982. From trying on a bottle cap hat, the Brewers spin on the Green Bay Packers cheeseheads, to eating a walking taco out of a Fritos bag while a fan took the reins, Tolle got the full tailgating experience. 

As Major League Baseball continues to try to bring a younger generation to the sport, Tolle is exactly the player they should be promoting. The 23-year-old throws a high-octane fastball while playing with a joy you rarely see. In an era when baseball has been labeled boring, Tolle is the No. 1 example that the sport can be a whole lot of fun. 

Credit where it's due: the league hit a grand slam by selecting Tolle for this position.