Reds’ Ashcraft keeps on moving forward in spring
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The final piece in Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft’s ascension from an unheralded prospect into a pillar in the Reds’ starting rotation fell into place last April.
Ashcraft, a former sixth-round pick, was coming off an erratic spring training. He was optioned to Triple-a, and he allowed four runs in 31⁄3 innings in his debut with the Louisville Bats.
A few days after that game, former Bats pitching coach Seth Etherton stopped Ashcraft’s bullpen session and told him to slow down. Etherton reminded Ashcraft that no one had a 100mph cutter like he had. He told Ashcraft that he didn’t need to rush through each pitch, and that he had to trust his arm.
“Once we started doing that, everything flowed into place,” Ashcraft said. “You could see it last year when I’d get sped up and I’d be all over the place, but I’d be able to pull everything back together and hone myself back in. From then on, I kept filling up the zone, and riding that train.”
One year later, Ashcraft is the No. 3 starter in the Reds’ rotation and the third piece of the starting pitching trio that the Reds are building around. Unlike Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, Ashcraft wasn’t a first-round pick. He battled through two hip surgeries, an off year in 2020 due to the pandemic and he climbed all the way up to become one of the most important Reds on the 2023 roster.
“Last year, he stepped in,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He’s right in that mix with (Greene and Lodolo) as far as how he handled his first season. He made improvements. He’s exactly what you would want in a player on our team, definitely as a starting pitcher. He’s very competitive, determined to keep getting better. You couldn’t ask for much more.”
Before Ashcraft posted a 4.89 ERA as a rookie, scouts questioned whether he could make it as a starter. Ashcraft was criticized for not being able to throw a straight fastball, and there was a realistic path where he ended up as a relief pitcher.