The Cincinnati Reds, sitting at 42-39, are struggling to claw their way to the top of the National League Central division. This has, in large part, been due to a lack of consistency with their pitching.
Either pitchers are struggling to stay consistent, or struggling to stay healthy. That could be about to change, though, as three pitchers have stood above the rest. Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, and Chase Burns have all had excellent seasons, far exceeding expectations. Greene and Abbot have dealt with injuries, and Burns has only played in a single game.
Despite their timelines not yet aligning, they’re all finally close to being on the team at the same time. When that happens, they could form a three-headed dragon of a rotation top-loaded with three aces.
Here’s a look at the spectacular season each of them is having, and how Reds pitching has been outside these three.
To this point of the season, the Reds’ pitching has been largely inconsistent. While Greene and Abbott have played extremely well (when available) and are making all-star cases for themselves, the rest of the rotation has struggled to find their footing.
Nick Lodolo’s play has seen him produce an ERA of 3.63 in 16 games, posting a win-loss record of five and five. This record is largely indicative of his season, as it seems he either looks like an ace or a bottom-of-the-rotation filler.
Brady Singer hasn’t been much better, having both solid and strenuous outings under his belt this season. He’s posting a 4.31 ERA through 16 games with 76 strikeouts.
The Reds are ranked 21st in shutouts (4), 16th in saves (21), 10th in home runs allowed (96), and sixth in batters hit (36). While their rotation does have potential, it ranks ninth in WHIP (1.22), 13th in ERA (3.85), 20th in walks (248), and 15th in both runs (338) and strikeouts (657).
The numbers aren’t terrible, but they have a lot of room for improvement. With the emergence of Abbott and Burns and the return of Greene, however, this rotation could be turned up a notch.
Expectations were high for Burns’ MLB debut against the New York Yankees, and he made sure to deliver. Pitching in five innings, Burns posted eight strikeouts with six hits and three earned runs, netting him a 5.40 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.
Not only is Burn’s eight strikeouts impressive for a debut, but the first five were consecutive (the first time that’s happened since the start of the expansion Era in 1961). He gave up a single to Jazz Chisolm Jr. after those five strikeouts, then promptly closed the inning with another strikeout. Although Burns gave up three runs, two of them came off a hit that, if played better by center fielder TJ Friedl, should have kept the runners on base.
Burns has only played in one MLB game so far, but has a promising future ahead of him with how he’s been playing. It would be safe to say he’d be the certified ace of this team if it weren’t for a couple of other guys across the dugout.
Abbott is quietly putting together the best season of his young career. Taking no notice of attention given to him (or the lack thereof), he continues to light it up every time he takes the mound.
Abbott has posted 72 strikeouts through 13 games, with an ERA of 1.79 and a WHIP of 0.97. This is considerably better than his career 3.32 ERA and 1.23 career WHIP, and looks shockingly sustainable for the young pitcher.
Abbott excels at keeping batters off base, not just striking guys out. He has a 51.5 fly ball percentage, a 30.2 ground ball percentage, and a 0.00 bunt percentage.
With as good as his numbers have been, he may be the least exciting of the Reds’ best three pitchers. The player fans should be most anticipating for the future is Greene.
Without a doubt, Greene is the bona fide ace of this team. This season, he has a 2.72 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP with 78 strikeouts through 11 games. That’s an average of over six strikeouts a game, and more than one per inning.
Greene is currently out with a right groin strain, but should be returning by the end of the month. This will help not only to bring the starting rotation back to full strength, but also to alleviate the stress on the bullpen.
This season, Greene has pitched through six innings five times, through seven three times, and once through eight. His ERA in the sixth inning and after is a crisp 0.00.
When healthy, Greene is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Luckily for him, and Reds fans and the organization, two of the other best young pitchers are sharing a rotation with him.
Between Greene, Abbott, and Burns, the Reds have one of the most exciting rotations in all of baseball, who also happen to be one of the youngest. Due to injuries and Burns starting the season in the minors, none of the three have played in enough games to qualify as a league leader in their stats. The three names would lead the league in multiple areas if they qualified, and thus may be the reason why this rotation hasn’t been getting the attention it deserves.
The big three do lead starting pitchers on the team with the three highest strike rates, though, at 38.1 percent (Burns), 30.8 percent (Greene), and 24.3 percent (Abbott). All of these players could be a quality ace, and together could form a three-headed dragon that sends shivers down the spines of any team opposing them.
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