The Reds had already made it clear that top pitching prospect Nick Lodolo was going to start their fifth game of the season, but they made it official on Tuesday with an announcement on Twitter:
As expected, this means Lodolo will get the ball against the Guardians on Wednesday in Great American Ball Park. This will come just a few days after the team's other prized pitching prospect, Hunter Greene, made his promising debut against the defending World Series champion Braves. He gave up three runs in five innings, but also struck out seven, got the win and averaged triple digits with his fastball (full breakdown of his start here).
Lodolo, a 6-foot-6, 24-year-old lefty, was the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft out of TCU. In 10 starts for Double-A Chattanooga last season, he had a 1.84 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 68 strikeouts in 44 innings. He was roughed up a bit in three Triple-A starts, but struck out 10 against two walks in 6 2/3 innings. He threw well in the spring, too (11 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 12 K).
CBS Sports prospect expert R.J. Anderson wrote the following on Lodolo in the spring:
Lodolo was the first pitcher to come off the board during that 2019 draft, albeit relatively late at No. 7. He's atoned for it by zipping through the minors, accruing a 2.31 ERA and a 7.09 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 13 starts across Double- and Triple-A in his first full professional season. (He was hampered by blisters and shoulder fatigue.) Lodolo doesn't have loud stuff; he does have a good slider and a broad arsenal of average-ish offerings that play up because of his command and the deception he creates with a lower release point. Provided Lodolo is hearty and hale, he ought to debut early this spring, with a straightforward path toward mid-rotation status.
It's rare to see teams debut such talented prospects within a span of a few days like this, as it's not often any team to have two highly-rated pitchers like this. Anderson had Lodolo as baseball's 20th-best prospect heading into the year with Greene 26th prior to the season.
It's unclear how long the Reds stick with Lodolo and/or Greene in the rotation. They are taking the rotation spots left vacant by Mike Minor and Luis Castillo, both of whom are injured but won't be out long. Minor begins a rehab assignment Wednesday while Castillo is throwing bullpen sessions.
Keep in mind, too, that Lodolo only threw 50 2/3 regular-season innings last year while Greene worked 106 1/3.
Still it's a treat for Reds fans, the baseball world, for the prospects themselves.
"I'm excited. Ever since you're a kid, it's what you dream of," said Lodolo, via mlb.com. "Now it's living that dream and everything. It will be cool that it's in Cincy. I can't really put it into words yet until it happens."
