The Cincinnati Reds are off to a solid (18-19) start to the MLB season. Led by do-it-all shortstop Elly De La Cruz who’s batting a respectable (.266) with five homers, 25 RBI and 38 hits thus far this season. While the future is super bright in the “Nnati” with six of the top 100 players on MLB Pipeline, one name stands above the rest.

Pitcher Chase Burns was the No.2 overall pick out of Wake Forest in the 2024 MLB Draft and is another potential ace for a franchise that already boasts one of the best young talents in the game in Hunter Greene. Burns, the strong-armed righty who overwhelms hitters with a devastating fastball which routinely hits triple digits, also has a better than average curveball and a steadily improving cutter/slider. His future is bright on the banks of the Ohio river. With an expected major league arrival this season, Burns is putting in work at the Double-A level.

Burns Has Been Good Since High-A

After a solid stint at the High-A level where Burns carried a solid 3.09 ERA over a few starts, he also tallied 13 strikeouts over 7-plus innings. His strong start drew rave reviews from Reds director of player development Jeremy Farrell.

“Chase is off to a solid start. It was two cold-weather outings where he has shown the ability to throw his fastball for strikes and he punched out almost 50 percent of the batters he faced.”

After being promoted to Double-A Chattanooga late last week Burns shined in his debut. Currently MLB Pipeline’s No.24 ranked prospect, Burns has pitched 20 solid innings this season, boasting an impressive 30 strikeout and just six walks. The beauty of it is that he’s using his entire arsenal.

Burns Learning To Be A Pro

As he continues his journey to eventually end up pitching in the friendly confines of Great America Ballpark in Cincinnati, Burns is using this time in the minors to learn what it means to be a pro.

During a recent interview with the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Burns opened up what he’s focusing on daily.

 

“Multiple Factors Played Into The Decision” | Cincinnati Reds No.2 Overall Pick Chase Burns Won’t See Mound Until 2025

 

“I think the thing that I’ve learned the most from is just really taking care of your body. You’re throwing every day, you’re at the field every day, and just your workload. As a pitcher, we see a lot of injuries now, and I think people are doing a better job now of taking care of their arms and looking at how many throws we’re throwing each day.

“That’s the biggest takeaway for me, because when you move up, you’re going to be on that five-man rotation, and you want to be able to do that. You kind of have to build yourself up for that. I think I’ve been doing a great job at that.”

 

Burns is very mature and based on his play and how he handles himself, you can see why all of Cincinnati is excited about his development and future arrival.