Reds first-round pick happy to be back in dugout

Right-hander Rhett Lowder will spend next 2 1/2 weeks with Dayton Dragons, but won’t pitch
Wake Forest pitcher Rhett Lowder throws to an LSU batter during the fifth inning in a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Thursday, June 22, 2023. (AP Photo/John Peterson)

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Wake Forest pitcher Rhett Lowder throws to an LSU batter during the fifth inning in a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Thursday, June 22, 2023. (AP Photo/John Peterson)

Rhett Lowder’s surroundings since he was the Reds’ first-round draft pick and seventh overall in July have been unfamiliar. The pitcher from Wake Forest who grew up in North Carolina, started working out at the Reds’ complex in Goodyear, Arizona, after he signed a $5.7 million signing bonus.

On Wednesday, he arrived in another new place: Dayton.

On Thursday, he sat in a setting he knows well: a dugout bench.

“It’s good to get back in the dugout and get in the uniform and watch the game,” he said. “I had a lot of fun last night. I’m looking forward to the rest of my time here.”

The fun was the Dragons’ come-from-behind 7-5 victory over Lansing. Lowder, however, won’t be pitching for the Dragons. He’s on their developmental list. That means he will be weight training and soft tossing for now. He pitched in the College World Series and threw over 120 innings for the Demon Deacons this year. It doesn’t seem likely that he will throw off a mound while he is with the Dragons over the next two-plus weeks.

“I’m excited to get here and continue that physical growth alongside the mental growth with the pitching coaches and a lot of the guys here,” he said. “They’ve been around minor league baseball, so just picking their brains and learning as much as I can about everything. I’m going to take it slow and not rush anything at all.”

Lowder’s career trajectory had long odds — maybe not as long as his hair — because he came out of high school as a lightly recruited pitcher. But he got in the weight room and saw his velocity increase from the mid-80s to the mid-90s. During his freshman year he remembers giving up at least one home run to Dragons catcher Mat Nelson, who led the nation that year in homers at Florida State.

But the weight training and the learning took off in time for his sophomore season. He was the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year that year and this past year. This spring he set Wake Forest records in victories and strikeouts, going 15-0 with a 1.87 ERA. His career record at Wake Forest was 30-5 in 49 appearances with a 3.29 ERA.

“I was a skinny kid in high school and didn’t throw very hard so I needed to put on a lot of weight and add a lot of velocity,” he said.

But what Lowder had was a good foundation of how to pitch. He threw a lot of innings in high school and had a changeup that was developing into his best pitch. The changeup sits in the mid to high 80s and has more movement than his slightly slower slider. Both pitches complement his four-seam and sinking fastballs.

“I knew how to get outs with what I had, so once I added that velocity and a little bit more bite to those breaking pitches I was a little bit of a step ahead,” he said. “From there it was mastering the mental game and doing all the little things right.”

Lowder brings his brain to the mound as well. He was the ACC Baseball Scholar Athlete of the Year is close to finishing his degree in economics.

For now, he will be a Dragon, watch, learn and have some fun.

“It’s good to be back in the dugout again, cheering for a team,” he said. “I feel like I’m back in the season, even if I’m not getting my reps in. It sounds like I’m not doing anything out here., but there’s a lot of work to be done and I get to watch some good baseball while I’m doing it.”

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