Connelly Early #71

Selected in the 5th round (No. 151 overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox out of the University of Virginia... received a slot-value $408,500 signing bonus... originally began his college career with Army, spending two seasons at West Point before transferring to Virginia after the 2022 season... added velocity at West Point and was named the Patriot League's Pitcher of the Year in 2022, helping the Black Knights win the 2022 Patriot League Championship before leading Virginia with 12 wins in 2023... won back-to-back Patriot League Championships at Army... in 2022, he won the Colonel Russell P. “Red” Reeder Baseball Award, presented annually to the most valuable player at West Point after he led the Patriot League in strikeouts with 88 and averaged the fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.25) in the league; his 3.26 ERA was the second lowest in the Patriot League and his seven wins were the second most in the conference.... entered 2025 ranked among Boston's top prospects by MLB.com -- he was the organization's No. 1 left-handed prospect as of June 2025... Virginia native attended James River High School Center for Leadership and international Relations before heading to the U.S. Military Academy... in high school, he was named All-State, All-Region and All-Metro pitcher in 2019, was a Perfect Game Preseason All-American and Perfect Game All-Tournament selection... Early was born in Richmond, Va. and grew up in Midlothian, Va... parents are Todd Early & Anne McNeil; he has three siblings – Coleman, Cabell and Callum... majored in Religious Studies during his one year at UVA