Minor League Baseball

Cincinnati Reds Youngster Deemed to Have Best Control Among Prospects, Per MLB Pipeline

Rhett Lowder made his major league debut in 2024 and MLB Pipeline says that he has the control to take a big jump in 2025.

Brady Farkas

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (81) pitches against the Houston Astros in the fifth inning at Great American Ball Park in 2024.
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (81) pitches against the Houston Astros in the fifth inning at Great American Ball Park in 2024. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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According to MLB Pipeline, Cincinnati Reds youngster Rhett Lowder has the best control of any pitching prospect on the new edition of the Top 100 prospects list.

Grading on a 20-80 scale, the outlet gave Rowder a 65 for his control, tying him with Philadelphia Phillies prospect Andrew Painter.

Lowder (34.1 percent) received the most votes forBest Pitchability in MLB Pipeline’s Executive Prospect Poll. The 2023 seventh overall pick walked only 5.4 percent of his batters faced in 108 2/3 innings across three Minor League levels in his first full season, and while he wasn’t as consistent with limiting walks during his six Major League starts, his history of improvement over time should help him iron that out. The ability to pump strikes and work on the fine edges of the zone could keep Lowder in Cincinnati’s rotation for a long time.

Lowder is ranked as the No. 35 prospect in the sport, entering the season. He was a first-round pick of the Reds in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest.

He was 6-4 in the minors last season with a 3.64 ERA and then went 2-2 with a 1.17 ERA in six starts at the big-league level. He struck out 22 batters in 30.2 innings.

The Reds figure to feature Hunter Greene, Nick Martinez, Andrew Abbott and Nick Brady Singer in the starting rotation at the outset of the season. Graham Ashcraft, Lowder, Brandon Williamson and Nick Lodolo figure to battle for the fifth spot, presuming everyone is healthy.

The Reds open up the season on March 27. Spring training begins in less than two weeks.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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