One of The Cincinnati Reds' Top Prospects is Absolutely On Fire

On Wednesday, there was a hopeful feeling that Rhett Lowder , one of the Cincinnati Reds' top prospects, would make his debut. Alas, it was not to be and the Reds went with a bullpen day and Lowder pitched game one of his Chattanooga Lookouts' doubleheader.

Lowder was absolutely dealing on Wednesday for his Double-A squad. Since it was a doubleheader, the Lookouts only needed to play seven innings, and Lowder, for the first time in his young career, went the distance.

He tossed seven innings of one-run baseball while allowing just four hits and walking one. Lowder, just like the Reds' current ace Hunter Greene , has been on fire over his last five starts. Since his July 20 start, Lowder has pitched 29 innings with a 0.621 ERA.

Across that stretch, he's allowed just 15 hits and seven walks. At the same time, Lowder has struck out 27.

The 22-year-old righty was the Reds' first-round selection in last year's MLB June Amateur Draft out of Wake Forest. According to MLB Pipeline, Lowder is the Reds' second-best prospect, only behind 2024 second-overall pick Chase Burns . MLB Pipeline has Lowder's ETA as 2024.

Reds Minor Leagues has Lowder as the fourth-best prospect in the Reds' system, behind Burns, Alfredo Duno , and Chase Petty .

Fangraph's rankings are similar to MLB Pipeline's with Lowder at second-best after Burns.

Overall, since joining the Double-A club, Lowder has thrown 77 1/3 innings with a 4.27 ERA. There for a while, he did struggle (6.52 ERA in his first 48 1/3 innings at the level) but he's figured it out.

The Reds have a history of playing around with service time, so it'll be interesting to see what they plan on doing with Lowder over these next six weeks.

Regardless, he should have an opportunity to make the 2025 rotation next Spring Training.