What's the deal with Lowder's AA numbers?

[texasdave]

Rhett Lowder is sparkling again this afternoon. 3 no-hit innings, no walks and 4 strikeouts.

Over his last 25 innings: 11 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 23 K. 0.36 ERA.

[Ladeda]

Rhett Lowder is sparkling again this afternoon. 3 no-hit innings, no walks and 4 strikeouts.

Over his last 25 innings: 11 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 23 K. 0.36 ERA.

Finished the game--- 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 8 K's, 1 BB.

Dude has been a machine over his last 5 starts. I'm not sure what he worked on over the MILB all star break-- but something has clicked. Good for him. Long may it continue.

[Mitri]

So to return to some takes earlier in this thread - did the Reds rush Lowder, like they do every other pitcher?

I think I know the answer already

[Kc61]

Any reason not to move Lowder to AAA for the rest of the season?

[Mitri]

Any reason not to let Lowder pitch out of the Reds bullpen in September?

[Dave C]

Finished the game--- 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 8 K's, 1 BB.

Dude has been a machine over his last 5 starts. I'm not sure what he worked on over the MILB all star break-- but something has clicked. Good for him. Long may it continue.

Yup... he's turned it around nicely. Just watched todays game and it was day and night better over what he was doing when he first got to AA. He's getting a lot of swing and miss on his FB which wasn't happening a month and a half ago. Good to see for sure. We need one of our highly rated pitchers to rise this year.

[RedTeamGo!]

Any reason not to let Lowder pitch out of the Reds bullpen in September?

horrible idea

Just let him develop.

[Sabo Fan]

Any reason not to move Lowder to AAA for the rest of the season?

I’d let him finish out the year in AA. Hopefully he continues to dominate and goes into the offseason with a ton of confidence. Then, allow for the possibility that he forces your hand in Spring Training and makes the Opening Day rotation.

More realistically I think he starts 2025 in AAA, and stays there until around Memorial Day. As long as he continues his development, I don’t see any reason he can’t be in the rotation at some point in June.

While I’m a big proponent of the “Coddle Thy Pitchers” philosophy, Lowder strikes me as someone who is pretty polished and can handle a quicker developmental process.

[mth123]

Lowder doesn't need to be on the 40 man roster yet. I doubt that the Reds will fill a spot with him until he's ready to step into the rotation. That may be next year at the end of Spring training, but they won't burn a spot over the winter on him ahead of the rule 5 draft IMO.

I do think a promotion to AAA is in order. He's had 5 pretty dominant starts in a row in AA after adjusting to the new level. His K/BB ratio is over 4 to 1, he gets ground balls and limits HR. Lets see what he can do against some of those AAAA guys who've had some big-league experience. If he looks good, it's another step towards his big-league debut. If not, he and the Reds will have learned something.

[Mitri]

horrible idea

Just let him develop.

I was only half joking, but it hardly warrants a "horrible idea" take, especially after some of the things said earlier in this thread (such as you saying he was rushed like all the other Reds pitchers lol).

But I would move him up to AAA to close the season at the very least, with an eye on him making the rotation out of spring training. A handful of innings out of the Reds bullpen in September would be a way to get him acclimated to the bigs with some low-pressure relief innings. A lot of teams do it, the Reds probably won't but it's just a thought.

[RedTeamGo!]

I was only half joking, but it hardly warrants a "horrible idea" take, especially after some of the things said earlier in this thread (such as you saying he was rushed like all the other Reds pitchers lol).

But I would move him up to AAA to close the season at the very least, with an eye on him making the rotation out of spring training. A handful of innings out of the Reds bullpen in September would be a way to get him acclimated to the bigs with some low-pressure relief innings. A lot of teams do it, the Reds probably won't but it's just a thought.

I do believe he was rushed, still. This is his first pro season. There was no reason to rush him to AA. I let him finish year at AA and let him continue to succeed. The AAA season ends mid September. No reason to rush him. He is finally seeing sustained success, let him finish the year at a high note and go into next season starting at AAA. If he succeeds call him up in May or June.

And yes, saying the Reds should suddenly move Lowder to the bullpen and call him up to the majors is the one of the craziest things said about Lowder. Only thing crazier is the people starting to say he is a bust. He is the future, probably as soon as next year, with regard to the rotation. Let him develop that way.

[Mitri]

But he wasn't rushed.

[medford]

Does the AAA season extend longer than the AA season? I know the lookouts are not heading to the postseason, any chance Louisville could? (haven't looked at any standings in a long while).

My point is, I'd leave Lowder in AA the rest of the season unless there is a chance to get him an extra start or 2 in Louisville at season's end and he hasn't hit his innings target for the season. Could he be a AFL canidate as a means to shut him down for a bit then extend him back with extra work in the fall?

I'd be in favor of acquiring a veteran starter on an expiring contract to pencil in b/w Green and Lodolo if one were to be available. Injuries can and will happen on the starting staff, always better to have more ammo in the bag and not feel rushed to promote someone into a starting role that isn't ready for it.

I'd definitely be interested in a big time FA bat for the OF, only problem is the last time I looked the FA to be bats are either a collection of meh or will be well out of Cincy's price range (ie Juan Soto). Would someone like Tyler O'Neill move the needle?

[JCM11]

Rushed or tipping pitches earlier in the year? Seems like something was figured out during the 11 days off between 7/9-7/20 as the H9 has come way down. I watched Lowder pitch a lot in college last year and I never thought he would struggle as badly as he did in AA early on. The way he's pitched over his past 6 starts is what we were hoping for when he was drafted. I would expect the Reds to give him a chance to make the big league team next ST. They've been pretty aggressive in promoting their top SP prospects in recent years. We'll probably get a clue on their plans depending on what they do in FA in regards to SP.

[Rdirtypirates]

I do believe he was rushed, still. This is his first pro season. There was no reason to rush him to AA. I let him finish year at AA and let him continue to succeed. The AAA season ends mid September. No reason to rush him. He is finally seeing sustained success, let him finish the year at a high note and go into next season starting at AAA. If he succeeds call him up in May or June.

And yes, saying the Reds should suddenly move Lowder to the bullpen and call him up to the majors is the one of the craziest things said about Lowder. Only thing crazier is the people starting to say he is a bust. He is the future, probably as soon as next year, with regard to the rotation. Let him develop that way.

Pitchers need challenged to work through their struggles. He was not rushed in the least bit. He was a highly rated college pitcher that when drafted was expected to move quickly. Just because someone struggles a few starts does not mean he was rushed.