The Cincinnati Reds traded pitcher Sonny Gray over the offseason, and failed to pick up Wade Miley‘s club option for 2022.
40 percent of their rotation didn’t return to start the year, and Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle could potentially be flipped before the deadline.
That’s just on the pitching side of things: position players Nick Castellanos, Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, and Tucker Barnhart also didn’t return: some were traded, others were simply let go via free agency.
It’s time to rebuild in Cincinnati.
Over the weekend, the Reds already gave the ball to hard-throwing prospect Hunter Greene, and he touched 102 mph while striking out seven in five frames.
This time, it’s Nick Lodolo‘s turn.
“Welcome to The Show, Nick Lodolo: The Reds’ 2019 first-round pick and current No. 2 prospect is scheduled to start and make his major league debut tomorrow against the Guardians,” the team announced via Twitter.
Welcome to The Show, Nick Lodolo❗️
The Reds' 2019 first-round pick and current No. 2 prospect is scheduled to start and make his major league debut tomorrow against the Guardians. pic.twitter.com/bhKf9rtuE2
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 12, 2022
It’s Lodolo Time in Cincy
Lodolo, currently 24 years old, is a left-handed pitching prospect who may not have Greene’s fastball, but is very polished and has at least three solid offerings in his arsenal.
He was taken with the seventh overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft and has ben a highly regarded prospect since then.
He won a spot in the team’s 2022 plans during the spring, by posting a solid 9/1 K/BB ratio (strikeout-to-walk ratio) in 7.1 innings (three appearances, two starts).
Injuries to his shoulder and fingers (blisters) limited Lodolo to just 13 starts in 2021, which he completed between Double-A and Triple-A.
However, he was brilliant when he was on the mound, with a 2.31 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 78/11 K/BB ratio across 50 2/3 frames.
The Reds hope both Greene and Lodolo can develop into the kind of contributors that Gray and Miley were.
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