Top Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect Chase Burns has reached rare air. As the team’s top pick in last year’s draft rockets up through the farm system and picks up hype and attention at every stop, he’s entering the tier of most anticipated Reds prospects of the last 20 years—a group that includes Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Homer Bailey, Hunter Greene, and Elly De La Cruz.
Burns, 22, was the No. 2 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and joined the Reds organization with high expectations. He’s already exceeding them and has a chance to impact the big league club this season.
“He just doesn’t give up hard contact,” says Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson. “He doesn’t give up very many hits. It feels like he’s in the strike zone as much or more than what we thought he was going to be. The stuff is good. The quality of his pitches are good. He’s passed every test so far. He’s in a really, really good spot. It’s been fun to see how he performs week to week.”
Every start from Burns this year has been a “must follow.” He began the year in High-A Dayton and made three starts in his first experience as a professional pitcher. He then was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga, made eight starts and posted a 1.29 ERA. He struck out 55 batters and issued just four walks in 42 innings at that level.
The Reds promoted Burns to Triple-A Louisville on June 9 as they continue to aggressively move him through the farm system. He’s not quite flying through at the pace that Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes was last season, but he isn’t very far behind that pace either.
As Burns turns heads with every performance, he’s establishing himself as one of the most important Reds player. He’s cementing his status as a critical piece of the core along with De La Cruz, Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Matt McLain, TJ Friedl, and Tyler Stephenson.
At this point, Burns is more than good enough to consistently get outs at the big league level, but the Reds are being patient and haven’t called him up to MLB. “He’s adapting to what it’s like to be a professional pitcher, and he’s having success along the way,” says Reds farm director Jeremy Farrell. “He has some specific things to work on, whether it’s routine or how he’s attacking hitters during the game. He’s off to a really good start.”
In college last season, Burns pitched once a week. In the Reds’ farm system he’s pitching about once every six days. He’s still not on a five-day schedule that the Reds use at the big league level. As the team manages his innings, he’s getting more rest between starts and is also usually not pitching past the fifth inning.
“He’s a strong kid, and he takes care of himself,” says Johnson. “I’m not super worried about that. For us, the biggest thing is making sure we manage his innings all the way through so that when we do call him up—or, you know, if that happens—he has plenty left.”
There’s a real possibility that, if the Reds are competing for a playoff spot down the stretch, Burns will get called up to contribute. Typically, a pitcher’s first year of professional baseball is about building up innings, getting a feel for the professional schedule, and working on secondary pitches. But Burns is capable of accomplishing much more than that this season because of his talent. His profile as a top prospect is starting to have some similarities with Greene’s. The Reds have a long way to go, but if they end up in contention at some point over the next few seasons, you could easily see Greene and Burns starting the first two games of a big playoff series.
The Reds typically don’t invest in stars on the free agent market or the trade market; they have to develop them through their farm system. Burns has the potential to get there. Right now, he’s getting that level of spotlight even though he hasn’t even made his big league debut yet.
It’s easy to forget that drafting Burns was far from a slam dunk last July. Sluggers like Charlie Condon and Jac Caglianone were considered the top prospects in that draft class. Most mock drafts at this point last year had Burns going in the back half of the top-10, and there wasn’t a lot of momentum for the Reds to take Burns until late in the draft process. His pick was a surprise at the time, but it looks like it’ll pay off.
In the meantime, Burns will be learning in Triple-A, making adjustments to more advanced hitters, and ramping up his between-start routine to prepare for a five-day big league pitching schedule. And with every start he makes, fans’ and team executives’ anticipation will continue to build.
Charlie Goldsmith has covered the Reds and Bengals since 2020, and his newsletter on the teams can be found at charlieschalkboard.substack.com. He’s @CharlieG__ on X.
Facebook Comments