Rhett Lowder

Rhett Lowder was the Cincinnati Reds’ first round draft choice in the 2023 MLB Draft. He was the 7th overall pick, the 2nd pitcher chosen after Paul Skenes and the Reds current number 1 prospect. Lowder, a 6’2 200 pound right handed pitcher out of Wake Forest, was dominant in college. In his final season, Lowder was 15-0 with a 1.87 ERA. He had 6.7 hits per 9 and 10.7 strikeouts per 9 with a WHIP at 0.94 while setting the record for most strikeouts in a season for a Demon Deacon. Lowder earned him self a rise in draft stock with his performance in 2023, solidify himself as an easy top 10 pick and 2nd best pitcher in the drafted after Skenes.

Rhett Lowder has sneaky velocity. His fastball averages out between 92-95, but can top out at 97. He has a great change up, that’s his out pitch. Many scouts raved over his changeup, with some saying it was the best changeup in the draft. Lowder features a solid 3 pitch mix with a fastball, slider and changeup. He has good command of all three pitches and can use them whenever he needs to. His fastball can overpower hitters when he needs to with good movement and his changeup keeps hitters guessing. In High A Dayton this year, Lowder was 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA. He had a SO/9 at 10.3 and a 2.1 walks per 9. Lowder quickly earned a promotion to AA Chattanooga.

Double A hasn’t been kind to Lowder. Through 10 starts, he sports an ERA at 6.85 with a WHIP at 1.63. His hits per 9 have doubled from 6.4 in Dayton to 12.5 in AA. A lot of Lowders’ issues aren’t entirely on him. The Lookouts aren’t exactly setting the world on fire this year. Yes, he’s giving up more hits than he did in Dayton, but the defense behind him isn’t really helping him out either. A bad defense and a high hit per 9 average won’t mix well together. Lowder has had some dominant performances in AA, so the potential is there, it’s just putting together more consistent outings to show everyone that he will be a potential number 1 starter in a major league rotation.

On July 2, 2024, Rhett Lowder was named to the 2024 All-Star Futures Game along side Cam Collier, who I have a previous article on linked here. Rhett has all the tools to be a formidable starter in the major leagues. His stuff is there, he has the work ethic. It’s just putting together quality and constant starts where he’s at now, the minor league level. Maybe AA just isn’t going to cut it for Lowder, the ball could be different than the other balls in other levels. Maybe it’s just the lack of talent around him in Chattanooga that’s the issue? Either way, I see another promotion in the near future for Rhett. I could see Lowder in AAA Louisville sometime before the fall and if things go well, you could see him on the Major League roster real soon. As of the time of writing this, Lowder has a MLB ETA of 2025.

Follow me on X for my thoughts on the Cincinnati Reds and Reds MiLB

**Are you interested in sports betting? If so make sure to use our promo code below where you can get your deposit matched (up to $1000), use promo code Sportz***

***Have you tried Dubby?? Are you looking for a Pre-Workout??
Use our promo code : WeLikeSportz for 10% off!