Anthony Eyanson, a 2025 Red Sox draft pick, was the winning pitcher in the decisive game of the College World Series Finals on June 22 when LSU won its second title in three years.
Outside of his team recording the final out, the 20-year-old righty’s most memorable moment from the championship run happened before the final game.
“Just being in the locker room,” Eyanson said. “It kind of felt like we won already. All the coaches were joking with the players, making sure that we were all loose before the game. And it was just a really cool feeling knowing that we were all playing for each other in that moment.”
Eyanson struck out nine while allowing three runs in 6 ⅓ innings as LSU swept its three-game series over Coastal Carolina. He earned 2025 First-Team All-American honors, posting a 3.00 ERA and 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings in 20 games (108 innings).
“It was probably one of the best things in the world that I’ve experienced so far,” Eyanson said. “It was just a really good group of guys that really deserved everything that we got that year. So something that I’ll always cherish.”
A couple of months later, Eyanson is part of a new group of guys in Fort Myers who have much in common.
Boston selected Eyanson in the third round (87th overall) in July 2025. He was one of 15 pitchers, including 14 college pitchers and 10 SEC hurlers, who the Red Sox drafted with their 21 selections. Most of them are at Boston’s Fort Myers complex right now, working on their development from pitch mix to commanding pitches in different zones to adding velocity.
Eyanson said he will remain there through November, then will return to California for the rest of the offseason.
The Red Sox prioritized drafting projectable, college pitchers with big bodies and either high-end velocity or the potential to add elite velo. They also prioritized hurlers with experience on the big stage.
“Obviously they’re really good pitchers, so it’s really cool to pick their brains,” Eyanson said about his new teammates. “Just being in that environment, it pushes you to be the best. And I think us all being surrounded by one another is really motivating for each and every one of us.”
Every pitcher who Boston drafted is 6-foot-2 or taller. listed at 6-foot-2, 208 pounds, Eyanson fits this profile perfectly. He throws a fastball up to 97-98 mph and mixes in three other pitches. Of course, he also has experience in big games.
“To do it at a school like LSU where it’s a packed house every night, you’ve got to be tough and enjoy that craziness in the moment,” Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson said. “You have to have players like that if you want to pitch at Fenway Park.”
Eyanson’s competitiveness cultivated at a young age. He grew up the youngest of six siblings. He has three brothers and two sisters. He played football, basketball and baseball.
“Just growing up, always being on the football field,” he said. “My parents and grandparents trying to get me excited before the game, slapping my helmet and my shoulder pads, getting me riled up. I think that’s definitely where the competitive edge comes from.”
Eyanson grew up about 40-45 minutes from Dodger Stadium and 30-35 minutes from Angel Stadium. The Lakewood, Calif., native would attend games at both stadiums as a kid and remained in his home state for the first two years of college. He pitched as a freshman and sophomore at UC San Diego before transferring to LSU for his final collegiate season.
He said pitching in front of rowdy SEC crowds was an adjustment.
“I had to get used to it a little bit,” he said. “Reeling it in sometimes when I wanted to try too hard — just the adrenaline coming from the crowd. I would definitely say I’m just really grateful to be able to have that experience from last year. Obviously, it’s fun pitching in those big moments. And it’s really cool how the crowd can feel you.”
Under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, the Red Sox aren’t rushing their draft picks into professional games. Only one pitcher from their 2025 draft class — 17th rounder Patrick Galle out of Ole Miss — has pitched in a minor league game.
The Red Sox’ pitching infrastructure is focused on immediate development in the months after signing their draft picks. Most pitchers in Breslow’s regime don’t pitch in professional games until the year after being drafted.
Boston did this with 2024 second round pick Payton Tolle and it worked masterfully. The Sox increased Tolle’s fastball velocity significantly and introduced a sweeper to his pitch mix. Tolle made his MLB debut a little over 14 months after Boston drafted him.
“It’s really motivating just to see how fast he’s developed,” Eyanson said about Tolle. “Coming out of college, he was already a really good athlete. But just to see his progress and this last year is really inspiring for me.”
Eyanson, first round pick Kyson Witherspoon (15th overall out of Oklahoma) and competitive balance pick Marcus Phillips (33rd overall out of Tennessee) all could be on a similar fast track as Tolle. Baseball America listed Witherspoon, a righty, as one of 12 prospects from the 2025 MLB Draft who could reach the majors in 2026.
‘I’m really excited — just excited to go out there and just put in the work,” Eyanson said. “It’s really cool seeing the results, especially for him (Tolle). And even other guys at the complex, just seeing how fast they developed and how fast their games have advanced for them. It’s really cool to experience.”
Eyanson throws a four-seam fastball, curveball, slider and splitter. He said increasing velocity and maintaining a higher average fastball velocity is one of his main goals. Boston helped Tolle do that. He pitched mostly in the low-90s at TCU. His 50 four-seamers in his MLB debut Aug. 29 vs. the Pirates averaged 96.2 mph and he topped out at 99.2 mph.
“I would definitely say my fastball is my work in progress,” Eyanson said. “For me, I want to be able to move the fastball all around the zone: up, down, in and out. So I think that’s what I’m most excited to get to work on during this time in Fort Myers.”
According to his Baseball America scouting report, “Eyanson throws his fastball in the 92-94 mph range and will touch 98. He does a nice job using it to both sides of the plate. The pitch has never been a consistent bat-misser, but it has some interesting traits including above-average riding life and a low spin profile that comes from a relatively steep attack angle.” The report also called his breaking balls “his best pitches.”
The righty considers his slider his best secondary pitch. MLB Pipeline agreed, writing, “Eyanson’s slider has become his best pitch during his first season in Baton Rouge, parking at 82-85 mph and eliciting empty swings in and out of the strike zone thanks to its tremendous depth.”
“I leaned on the slider a lot more last year. Just gave me more swing-and-miss results,” he said.
BA noted, “His mid-80s gyro slider is an above-average offering with sharp vertical biting action and generated a 52% miss rate in 2025.”
He also throws what MLB Pipeline has described as a “hammer curveball.”
“I just like flipping it in the zone,“ Eyanson said. ”I like seeing a lot of guys kind of flinch at it if they’re not expecting it.”
He said the slider and curveball play well off each other, disrupting the timing of hitters.
“Especially if I’m landing them in the zone,” he said.
Eyanson also throws a splitter that has sometimes been categorized as a changeup.
“It looks like a changeup sometimes just because of the late arm-side fade,” he said. “I would only throw it to lefties a good amount last year.”
He said the Red Sox have not introduced a sweeper, a pitch that has become popular in the minor league system.
“But I’m definitely open to throwing that if it means it’ll benefit me,” he said.
Command has typically been a strength for Eyanson, who averaged 11.1 strikeouts and 2.8 walks per nine innings in 42 college games (34 starts).
“That’s really important to me,” Eyanson said. “Just the way I was taught baseball growing up … You need to be able to throw strikes. So that’s something I take pride in.”
When he was 10 years old, his travel ball coach stressed the importance of throwing strikes.
“He’d always preach to all the pitchers: it doesn’t matter how good your stuff is or how hard you throw if you can’t throw a strike,” Eyanson said. “And then definitely my high school coaches did a really good job at teaching us just the correct fundamentals of the game, and they hammered that down as well.”
Other things to know about Eyanson:
~ Although Eyanson grew up a Dodgers fan, Marcus Stroman was one of his favorite pitchers. “When he was on the Blue Jays. I watched a lot of that on YouTube. Just fits my profile. And I just like the way he pitched.”
~ He enjoys listening to jazz music. That passion was passed down from his dad who always has jazz playing on the radio.
“When I was younger, I’d always clown him for playing that,” Eyanson said. “But as I got older, I found more peace in it and definitely helped me study in high school and college and just something that kind of calms me down.”
~ Eyanson enjoys cooking. “I always look at cookbooks online. Got a cookbook for Christmas this last year,” he said.
“I’ve made a lot of steaks. I learned how to make macaroni and cheese from scratch,” he added.
~ Football was his second favorite sport behind baseball. He played quarterback, receiver and safety.
“And I kicked as well,” said Eyanson, who played through his junior year.
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