Cincinnati Reds draft Wake Forest pitcher Rhett Lowder in first round of 2023 MLB Draft

Three years after right-handed starting pitcher Rhett Lowder was the the No. 491 recruit in his high school class, the Cincinnati Reds picked Lowder out of Wake Forest with the seventh pick of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Lowder, a three-year starter at Wake Forest, profiles to be a consistent pitcher who moves up to the big leagues very quickly. He has three plus pitches, arguably the best changeup in the class and posted a sensational strikeout-to-walk ratio last season at Wake Forest.

"Competitiveness, the pitchability and the stuff doesn't really get talked about as much as we feel like it should be," Reds amateur scouting director Joe Katuska said. "He's not some soft-tosser out there. He's throwing 92-96 (mph) every time we saw him this spring with an above-average-to-plus slider and changeup. His team the last two years at Wake was 32-3 when he took the ball on Friday nights, and he was the ACC pitcher of the year twice. It's a long performance track record, the stuff, the command and control and all of it lines up to be a major-league starting pitcher.

Lowder posted a 1.87 ERA with a 15-0 record and his biggest highlight was seven shutout innings against a historic LSU lineup during the College World Series. Facing a star-studded team that included the best hitter in this year’s draft class, Lowder only allowed three hits in the game.

He overpowered a group of hitters who had a lot more buzz entering college than Lowder had.

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Who is Cincinnati Reds draft pick Rhett Lowder?

Lowder picked the Demon Deacons over college offers from UNC Wilmington, Appalachian State and Campbell. His offer from Wake Forest came late in the process, and Lowder was one of the last players to sign in his recruiting class.

He admits that he was a “late bloomer,” but Lowder quickly earned a spot in Wake Forest’s rotation.

“I wasn’t great in high school,” Lowder said. “I was an undersized kid. I’m still kind of small. But I put on some weight and came onto the scene later than some of my other peers. It’s a testament to some hard work that was put in and the program that we had at Wake.”

At Wake Forest, Lowder developed into one of the best pitchers in college baseball. While he doesn’t have the velocity of Hunter Greene or a signature breaking ball like Nick Lodolo, Lowder is a polished pitcher who excelled in big college games. He added velocity and turned his changeup into a dynamic pitch.

MLB Draft analyst Jordan Shusterman of Fox Sports says, “Lowder always appears in complete control of the game, brilliantly commanding and executing his pitches over the course of a start, and utilizing his arsenal to yield whatever result the situation calls for.”

Baseball America writes, “Perhaps this is nonsensical to say about a pitching prospect, but Lowder doesn’t have that much risk in his profile… Lowder isn’t some vanilla strike thrower or mere college performer. He was up to 97 mph in June.”

Baseball America had Lowder going sixth in their mock draft, and most major mock drafts had him going in the top 10.

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MLB used a new draft lottery this year, and the Reds were the biggest losers. Despite losing 100 games in 2022, they slid to the seventh pick in a generational draft class with five players who could have been the top pick in a different class.

The Reds missed out on that group of players, who went in the first five picks. Still, Cincinnati gets another starting pitcher who could move up the farm system quickly.

Every scouting report, including Katuska’s assessment of Lowder, paints him as someone who really knows how to pitch.

“I didn’t throw very hard in high school, but I always got outs and had to find ways to pitch,” Lowder said. “I had to find ways to win since I didn’t throw very hard. It came with learning to pitch and mix counts early on. Then when I did add a bit of weight and velocity, that was still there too. I did it backwards. Some guys add the velocity first and then learn. I did it the other way.”

The Reds’ rotation is anchored by four young starters in Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft and Andrew Abbott. Brandon Williamson has had an impressive rookie season. Prospect Connor Phillips looks like an impact starting pitcher as he develops in Triple-A, headlining a strong farm system of starting pitchers that also includes Chase Petty, Lyon Richardson, Levi Stoudt and Joe Boyle.

Cincinnati Reds add a starter and a shortstop to round out first day of 2023 MLB Draft

The Reds added to their pitching depth with the No. 38 overall pick in the draft, taking LSU starting pitcher Ty Floyd. Like Lowder, Floyd had success pitching for a blueblood program and impressed in the postseason.

“Knowing the level of competition that those two have played in, those were the top two teams in the country for most of this year and for good reason,” Katuska said. “With Rhett, it’s the polish he has with all of the mix. With Ty, it’s definitely the fastball-changeup combination to start with two promising breaking balls as well.”

Floyd, a right-hander, has 19 inches of vertical break on his fastball, which Floyd calls his biggest strength. Floyd’s fastball gives him the ability to gain big swings and misses. He improved his command on his secondary pitches to become a more consistent pitcher and a better draft prospect in 2023.

Floyd posted a 4.35 ERA last season in 19 appearances, striking out 120 batters in 70 innings. During the College World Series, Floyd struck out 17 batters in eight innings in a win over Florida.

“I credit a lot of my progress over the last couple years, or at least this year, to (former LSU pitching coach) Wes Johnson,” Floyd said. “He allowed me to become the pitcher I am today and taught me a lot about pitching in general and the mindset toward pitching. He’s a big part of my development over my last two years.”

The Reds wrapped up the first day of the draft by selecting shortstop Sammy Stafura from Walter Panas High School in New York.

“Sammy is a tremendous athlete,” Katuska said. “We believe he’s going to stick in the middle of the field. Plus run, plus arm, good shortstop actions with a bat that we’ve seen and like. There’s power potential.”

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds 2023 MLB Draft pick: Wake Forest pitcher Rhett Lowder