It only takes watching a few pitches to appreciate what makes Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft three of the most exciting young pitchers in baseball. Greene throws a harder fastball than any starting pitcher in the game. Lodolo’s breaking ball is one-of-a-kind. Ashcraft has the fastest cutter in baseball.
Likely sometime in the next year, current Reds pitching prospect Andrew Abbott will join that trio in the Reds’ big league starting rotation. Abbott is only 6 feet, 192 pounds. He’s not the hardest thrower, and his frame doesn’t give him the advantages that Lodolo has at 6-foot-6.