A refreshed Andrew Abbott is ready to remind who he is when he’s at his best

GOODYEAR, Ariz. –– During the last week of the 2023 season, Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson told starting pitcher Andrew Abbott, “Be ready.”At the time, Abbott was gassed. He had already blown past the number of innings he was supposed to throw over the course of the season, but the Reds didn’t shut him down as they chased a playoff spot. Even though Abbott posted a 6.09 ERA over his final 10 starts, he was in line to pitch the first game of the postseason, if the Reds made it that far.

“I was going to be ready,” Abbott said.

Abbott didn’t look like himself on the mound in September. Usually, finishing a season on that much of a slide doesn’t bode well for a pitcher’s chances to pitch in the postseason, or his chances to make the Opening Day roster the next year.

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But Reds manager David Bell views Abbott’s experience down the stretch last year as a positive.

“He didn’t shut down or give up,” Bell said. “For as fatigued as he was, he learned how to pitch like that. At some point in his career, he’ll pitch like that again. To learn how to manage that, he showed what we already know about him. He knows what he’s doing.”

Andrew Abbott top candidate for starting rotation

Abbott enters this spring as a strong candidate to earn a rotation spot in a crowded position battle. This spring, he has looked more like the pitcher he was in June and July than the pitcher he was in September.

In his most recent spring training start, Abbott allowed four runs in three innings, and he recognized that he was challenging hitters on the inner half of the plate too often. He adjusted heading into the second inning and finished the outing looking strong.

Overall, Abbott has had a solid camp. His velocity is up. His command is arguably the best on the Reds’ pitching staff. He has a good feel for his off-speed pitches. He spent the entire offseason building up more lower body strength to prevent himself from getting worn down again, and Abbott accomplished that goal heading into spring training.

Now, he’s working on combining the best versions of his pitches with the lessons he figured out when he pitched through serious fatigue last September.

“I’ve always been a competitor,” Abbott said. “It’s not an easy job. I don’t like to lose. The same can be said for everyone here. That’s been a part of me, the moxie that I’ve had for a long time. I don’t have the elite of the elite stuff, and I know it. If I can compete with you and do what I do really well, then I know that I can get outs just like the great pitchers.”

Abbott’s moxie was the biggest reason that Bell said he had planned to pitch Abbott in the playoffs.At the time, they had 2023 Opening Day starter Hunter Greene in line to pitch the final game of the season, which would have been a win-or-go-home situation. That would have made Greene unavailable for the first round of the playoffs. The Reds’ rotation in the Wild Card round likely would have included Abbott, Brandon Williamson and Connor Phillips.

If the Reds had made it into the postseason, Abbott would have matched up against former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes of Milwaukee. Abbott would have taken the mound that day with confident teammates playing behind him.

Abbott's maturity stands out to teammates

“He showed how mature he is,” Reds outfielder Spencer Steer said. “You see guys stay in the league for a long time because they know how to pitch when they don’t have their best stuff. Learning how to pitch when you don’t feel as good and still giving the team some strong innings, that’s something that’s really impressive.”

This spring, Abbott said he’s focusing on the mental side of his game. He’s spending more time with catchers to understand their perspectives, picking the brain of Reds veteran starting pitcher Frankie Montas and adding to his ability to build successful game plans against hitters.

Abbott says that he wants to be a better communicator this year. He wants to be able to explain the intent behind every pitch he throws and collaborate more with Johnson and the catchers over the course of the season.

Abbott’s experience last September helped him learn more about himself, and he’s using what he learned.

“We really want him to get the ball consistently to the (right side of the plate),” Johnson said. “If he does that, his other pitches will all come into shape the way that they need to. His slider can be elite. Really, it’s just about being able to throw it for a strike when he wants to.”

In a starting rotation full of velocity and breaking balls with incredible spin rates, Abbott stands out as an old-school pitcher. He has the ability to blow past hitters with a 96 mph fastball that looks like it rises up through the strike zone, but the way that Abbott sets up his pitches is a bigger piece of his success than it is for some other Reds’ starting pitchers.

He also has plenty of upside. Over his first 10 big league starts, Abbott posted a 1.90 ERA.

Abbott is working to get back there and make up for the opportunity that he missed out on last season.

“It was good for him to face adversity and to be in a playoff chase,” Reds catcher Luke Maile said. “A lot of times last year, he didn’t have his best stuff. But he covered innings for us and won us some games. It was a tremendous first year for him, and there were a lot of important lessons.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Refreshed Reds starter Andrew Abbott is competing for rotation spot