Reds top pick in 2023 to start Dragons’ opener

Rhett Lowder was 15-0 with 1.87 in final season at Wake Forest
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder (81) works out during spring training baseball workouts in Goodyear, Ariz., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder (81) works out during spring training baseball workouts in Goodyear, Ariz., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Rhett Lowder will make his professional debut as the Dayton Dragons starting pitcher at 7:10 p.m. Friday at Day Air Ballpark.

The Cincinnati Reds drafted Lowder in the first round last summer as the No. 7 overall pick and second pitcher in the draft. After pitching over 120 innings last season and into the College World Series for Wake Forest, the Reds chose to rest his arm. Lowder spent the end of the season with the Dragons on the developmental list. He lifted weights and did little else during his time in Dayton.

Lowder is not on the Reds’ 40-man roster but was a non-roster invitee to the big-league camp this spring in Goodyear, Arizona. He is ranked as the Reds’ No. 2 prospect by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.

In his final season at Wake Forest, Lowder was 15-0 with a 1.87 ERA to earn first-team all-American honors. He walked only 24 and stuck out 143 in 120 1/3 innings. He led the nation in wins and was fourth in ERA and strikeouts. Lowder was named to ACC pitcher of the year, male athlete of the year and scholar athlete of the year. In the College World Series, Lowder pitched seven scoreless innings against eventual national champion LSU in his final college appearance.

Lowder is a 6-foot-2 right-hander known for his control and mid-80s changeup with a huge fade, according to the MLB Pipeline scouting report. He also throws a fastball that will sit in the 92-95 mph range that most often sinks and induces a lot of weak, ground ball contact. His slider sits in the low 80s.

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