Sitting in the visiting clubhouse last week at Fenway Park, Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott was fielding one interview request after another. Everyone anticipated that he was about to be named an All-Star, and the national and out-of-town reporters wanted to learn more about one of the most productive pitchers in MLB in 2025.
“That’s been different,” says Abbott. “I’ve never been one to really care about the attention, personally.”
He’s been flying under the radar ever since he picked up a baseball, and the latest example was this week’s All-Star snubbing. Even though Abbott has a stellar 2.15 ERA, he wasn’t named to the initial NL All-Star Game roster. It was such a surprising omission that Terry Francona’s message to the team as he announced Elly De La Cruz’s All-Star status included the point that he was surprised De La Cruz was the only Reds player on the initial roster.
Abbott is used to being overlooked. It’s been the story of his career. He wasn’t highly recruited, he didn’t get much draft buzz until his final year of college, and he wasn’t highly rated by prospect rankers. By his own admission, he’s not a flamethrower. He doesn’t have an overpowering stature like Hunter Greene. He doesn’t spin a unique breaking ball like Nick Lodolo. Abbott is completely old school.
His old school approach is also his biggest strength. It sets him apart. When pitching prospects debut now, the expectation is that they have one or two impact pitches, and then coaches hope they’ll develop the rest of their arsenal later. Top prospects spend years working on a changeup and often never quite figure it out.
Abbott, on the other hand, debuted in 2023 with four well-above-average pitches as well as standout command. He had a great understanding of the art of pitching. He didn’t throw 100 mph, but he knew how to set up batters and use pitch sequences to his advantage.
The goals he’s been chasing also look a lot different. “I’m always a person who likes consistency,” Abbott says. “Being mostly consistent in most of the games that I’ve pitched (this year) has been nice. Providing a spark on the mound whenever you can.”
He was ready to make an impact from the day the Reds called him up in June 2023. Abbott was excellent that season until he ran out of gas in September. He was a viable All-Star candidate at the mid-point of the 2024 season but wasn’t selected. In August, he dealt with a shoulder issue that developed into a season-ending injury.
Abbott knew what he had to work on in 2025. To take the next step, he had to find a way to be even more consistent, which meant finding a strategy that would let him run through the finish line of the season like he wasn’t able to in 2023 or 2024. “I’ve added more (work) behind the scenes than anything else,” he says. “We have a really good training staff and a really good strength staff who have helped me iron out my routine. Hopefully we’ll expand on that for days and years to come.”
Now he’s much more confident that he’ll be at his best for the biggest games of the Reds season. He’s also looking forward to the grind of the season’s second half. He’ll pitch through the rain, pitch after a rain delay, pitch on four days rest, pitch with more rest between starts, pitch against a star-studded lineup, and show up with his best stuff on a hot day against a bad team.
“You just show up ready to go and put the pedal to the metal for as long as you can,” says Abbott, which isn’t a typical quality. Lodolo has called Abbott “Mr. Consistency,” and Abbott has kept the Reds in just about every game he’s pitched this season.
His consistency combined with his improved approach have led to the eye-catching ERA and the impressive win-loss total. With that, Abbott had plenty of analysts in Cincinnati and nationally making the case for his All-Star status. Abbott didn’t pay attention to any of that conversation, but instead made a point to avoid thinking about what it would be like to experience the All-Star Game. “You’ve just got to put in the work,” he says. “You’ve just got to show up every day.”
Abbott still is likely to get the chance to represent the Reds along with De La Cruz next week in Atlanta. Because big league pitchers work on stricter schedules than ever before, more and more pitchers are opting out of the All-Star Game and plenty of others join the team as “replacements.” Most have already forgotten that Hunter Greene was a replacement addition last season, and the detail of Abbott joining the team that way would likely be inconsequential.
After Abbott was snubbed on Sunday, Francona made a point to tell the media that Abbott would be available to pitch in the All-Star game. De La Cruz said he expected to see him there.
Abbott has been overlooked for a lot of his baseball career. Now, however, he has a future Hall of Fame manager and a superstar shortstop vouching for him.
Editor’s Note: Abbott was named a National League All-Star replacement on the evening of July 8.
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.
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