Club Also Selects Left-Handed Pitcher Payton Tolle in Second Round (50th Overall)
BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox selected outfielder Braden Montgomery out of Texas A&M University with their first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The club also selected left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle out of Texas Christian University in the second round (50th overall).
Montgomery, 21, was ranked among the top 10 prospects available in this year’s draft by MLB.com (No. 8) and Baseball America (No. 7). Named a 2024 First Team All-American by Perfect Game and Second Team All-American by Baseball America, the switch-hitter batted .322 (76-for-236) with 14 doubles, 27 home runs, and a Southeastern Conference-leading 85 RBI in 61 games for the Aggies, while making 59 starts in right field. He was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy as the most outstanding player in college baseball, and earned SEC First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive Team honors.
The Des Moines, Iowa native is a graduate of Madison Central High School (MS), where he was named the 2021 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year and the No. 1 overall player in the state according to Perfect Game. Montgomery played 32 games for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League from 2022-23 and was selected to play on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in 2023. He began his collegiate career at Stanford University (2022-23), where he helped the Cardinal reach the College World Series in each of his seasons there. His father, Marcus, played football for the University of Iowa while his mother, Gretchen, ran track for the Hawkeyes.
Tolle, 21, was the 2024 Big 12 Conference Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year, posting a 3.21 ERA (29 ER/81.1 IP) with a 1.16 WHIP and 13.83 strikeouts per 9.0 innings (125 strikeouts). The left-hander was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, and earned Third Team All-American honors from Perfect Game. Prior to his time at TCU, the Yukon, Oklahoma native spent two seasons at Wichita State University (2022-23). Tolle is a graduate of Bethany High School (OK), where he was a First-Team All-State selection by The Oklahoman and the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association as a senior in 2021. His father, Chad, ran track and field for Oklahoma State University while his mother, Jina, played golf at Wichita State.
