ST. LOUIS — In spring training in 2020, when Graham Ashcraft was a diamond in the rough starting pitching prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization who hadn’t pitched in many games since high school, no one wanted to play catch with him because he couldn’t command his fastball.
Ashcraft was in an instructional group with Alexis Díaz and Jared Solomon, who also both later became highly-regarded prospects and contributors in the Reds bullpen. Future MLB pitchers Mac Sceroler and Packy Naughton were in the group as well, but no one had a fastball anything like Ashcraft’s.