Rhett Lowder Tops Baseball America's List of Reds' Top Prospects

Did they get it right?

Greg Kuffner | Nov 13, 2024

Sep 21, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (81) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

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Baseball America ranked the Cincinnati Reds' top prospects on Tuesday.

Check out the top five prospects below, including our own analysis and insights from the Reds Senior Director of Player Development Jeremy Farrell:

1. Rhett Lowder

Lowder was the 7th overall draft pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The right-hander started the season with High-A Dayton and quickly pitched his way to Double-A Chattanooga.

After struggling through his first 10 starts in Double-A with a 6.85 ERA, Lowder settled down and had a 0.62 ERA over his next five starts, earning him a promotion to Triple-A Louisville. In Louisville, he pitched just one game, throwing six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts before earning a call up to the big leagues.

He continued to impress in his six Major League starts. Over 30 2/3 innings, he had an ERA of 1.17 to go along with 22 strikeouts. In four of his six starts, he did not allow a run.

"Obviously, Lowder flew through the system, Reds Senior Director of Player Development Jeremy Farrell said. "He figured some things out in Double-A that would set him up to go on the run that he had in the big leagues. I feel like he'll only continue to get better as he gets more comfortable with the professional game.

2. Chase Burns

Burns was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft. Burns pitched two seasons for Tennessee before transferring to Wake Forest for his final season.

In 2024, Burns went 10-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He struck out 191 batters in 100 innings and had a WHIP of just 0.920.

The 21-year-old did not pitch competitively in the Reds system in 2024, but he participated in the instructional league in Arizona and will be ready to go for spring training in 2025.

"Chase did not pitch competitively this year, but he's healthy, he's ready to go," Farrell said. "No red flags there. But he finished the instructional league with a couple of outings out here in Arizona and he'll be ready to go and head out to an affiliate in spring training."

3. Chase Petty

Petty was acquired for Sonny Gray in March 2022. After a dominant 2023 campaign between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga, the right-hander made 30 starts between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024.

The 21-year-old struck out 130 batters with a 4.20 ERA over 137 innings. However, if you take out his first four starts of the season, his ERA drops to 3.50 over his last 24 starts.

"Outstanding year for Chase Petty. He took the ball, he stayed healthy," Farrell said. "Not only did he mature in what he was trying to do as a pitcher and attacking hitters, but also just the way he went about his business. Whether it was his preparation or the way he navigated a game, we challenged him with Triple-A at the end of the year and felt that overall it was a really, really good year for Chase."

4. Alfredo Duno

The Reds signed Duno in 2023 when he was just 17 years old. Duno was ranked thefourth-best player in this year’s international signing period by MLB.com.

Duno only played 32 games in 2024 due to a broken rib, slashing .267/.367/.422 in 139 plate appearances with Low-A Daytona.

“One of the best catchers I’ve seen come out of Latin America,” Reds’ International Scouting director Trey Hendricks said. “He’s getting a lot of notoriety from different baseball publications and for good reason. He’s a really talented kid.”

5. Cam Collier

The Reds drafted Collier with the No. 18 overall pick in 2022. The 19-year-old played the whole season in High-A Dayton. He slashed .248/.355/.443 to go along with 20 home runs.

After going through a rough stretch offensively, Collier finished strong, slashing .265/.404/.466 with a wRC+ of 151 over the last 65 games of the season. He helped lead the Dayton Dragons to their first playoff berth since 2017.

There were guys who took big steps forward this year.," Farrell said. "You look at Cam Collier and how his season went. Got off to a hot start. The league adjusted to him a little bit, and he made the adjustment back and finished really strong, putting together quality, consistent at-bats and hitting for power. It was an outstanding year for Cam."

You can see Baseball America's full Reds prospect rankings here. Read Farrell's analysis about the Reds' top prospects here.

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