Drafted by the Pirates in the fourth round in 2023, Carlson Reed, a 22-year-old right-hander, was a closer at West Virginia University but switched to starting in his first pro season and had a breakout 2024, striking out 130 in 108.2 innings with a 1.99 ERA.
His first 17 games were in Bradenton before getting promoted and finishing the year in Greensboro, and he took a perfect game into the seventh inning of his last start. He has a four-pitch mix: He split the fastball when when he turned pro. The sinker is around 90-91 mph, with the four-seam topping at 94. The slider and changeup are above-average to plus pitches, getting plenty of chase and whiffs.
Control will be key: He walked 11.7% of batters last year, a number that will need to improve to remain in the rotation. He showed enough late last year to make a case to jump straight to Altoona, but the safer guess would be starting at Greensboro.
For more on the Pirates' system, visit Bucs on Deck.
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THE ASYLUM
Anthony Murphy
11:59 am - 12.13.2024Gordonsville, VaToday's Prospect: Carlson Reed
Drafted by the Pirates in the fourth round in 2023, Carlson Reed, a 22-year-old right-hander, was a closer at West Virginia University but switched to starting in his first pro season and had a breakout 2024, striking out 130 in 108.2 innings with a 1.99 ERA.
His first 17 games were in Bradenton before getting promoted and finishing the year in Greensboro, and he took a perfect game into the seventh inning of his last start. He has a four-pitch mix: He split the fastball when when he turned pro. The sinker is around 90-91 mph, with the four-seam topping at 94. The slider and changeup are above-average to plus pitches, getting plenty of chase and whiffs.
Control will be key: He walked 11.7% of batters last year, a number that will need to improve to remain in the rotation. He showed enough late last year to make a case to jump straight to Altoona, but the safer guess would be starting at Greensboro.
For more on the Pirates' system, visit Bucs on Deck.
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