Chase

Petty

Petty generated 17 swinging strikes and turned in one of his strongest outings of the year just a couple days after getting lit up for nine runs over 2 1/3 innings by the Cardinals in his big-league debut. The hard-throwing 22-year-old is going to get another shot at some point in the near future, especially if he keeps pitching like this on the doorstep of the majors.

This was a disastrous debut for Petty. His day started by allowing a walk, single, a sharp line drive for an out, and then a 420 foot home run by Willson Contreras. It didn’t get any easier for him after that as the Cardinals tacked on again in the second inning and finally chased him in the third. They clobbered three balls with at least a 110 mph exit velocity and seven of their 11 total balls in play were hard-hit. It also didn’t help Petty that Gavin Lux looked completely lost out in left field, but those are the breaks. He did manage to force 10 swings-and-misses in his short outing, it just wasn’t enough to slow the Cardinals’ lineup down in any way. Since he was promoted to start the second game of a double-header, it’s unknown whether he will get another turn in the rotation.

Petty will make his major-league debut in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals. The 22-year-old former first-round pick throws hard and has recorded an impressive 3.52 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 27/9 K/BB ratio across 23 innings (five starts) this season for Triple-A Louisville. He’s worth monitoring in deeper mixed leagues based on his talent and strikeout potential, but he’s an extremely risky streaming option for fantasy managers right out of the gate.

Petty broke the news himself on his Instagram account, so it looks like he’s definitely coming up to take the ball for the second game of Wednesday’s twin bill against the Cardinals. The 22-year-old was a first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft and holds a solid 3.52 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 27/9 K/BB ratio across 23 innings (five starts) this season for Triple-A Louisville. His strikeout upside gives him some long-term fantasy appeal, but we’re hesitant to recommend him as a streaming option right out of the gate.

Petty allowed just one hit in what was a dominant performance. The 22-year-old now has a 3.52 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 27:9 K:BB ratio in 23 innings over five starts. There is plenty of upside in Petty’s arm, and he just turned 22 years old three weeks ago, but his secondaries will need to take a step forward to offset a fairly average fastball. He figures to spend the majority of the season at Triple-A unless injuries force the Reds to call him up sooner.

Petty turned heads in his few spring outings in the Cactus League, but the former first-round pick is still just 21 years old, so a bit of a learning curve is expected. He did strike out four in the outing, but he also walked two. Petty averaged 94.5 mph on his four-seam fastball on Tuesday, but he gets below-average extension and very little vertical break on the pitch, so it remains to be seen how it performs at the highest levels.

Benson’s departure leaves TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley and Gavin Lux as left-handed outfield options for Cincinnati to open the year. It also seems to signal that Christian Encarnacion-Strand will get an opportunity at DH against left-handed pitching with Lux on the strong side of the platoon. The 26-year-old former top prospect has shown flashes of power-speed combo upside at the highest level, but hasn’t made enough contact to make the leap to impact fantasy contributor. A first-round selection from the 2021 MLB Draft, Petty looked sharp in a handful of Cactus League appearances this spring and could make his big-league debut later this summer, if everything breaks right.

One of the better pitching prospects in Cincinnati’s system, Petty held his own against Los Angeles’ star-studded lineup over three frames. He gave up four hits with Mookie Betts’ third-inning solo shot representing the lone tally against him. The hard-throwing 21-year-old righty, who averaged 97.6 mph on his four-seamer in this outing, will open the year at Triple-A Louisville and could reach the big leagues at some point later this summer.

No surprises here, but Arroyo, Lowder and Petty are the big-name prospects here. Lowder was Cincinnati’s first-round pick last summer and figures to move quickly after a standout collegiate career. Petty throws extremely hard and is just beginning to harness his formidable arsenal. He might be the first to arrive in the big leagues out of that trio.

Petty, who turns 21 in April, posted a 1.72 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 18 games and 68 innings between High-A and Double-A last season. He was coming off a right elbow injury at the end of the 2022 season and the Reds made sure to be cautious last year, but he’s hopeful to pitch without a leash in 2024. Reds vice president of player development Shawn Pender said he’s received reports that Petty has reached 98-99 MPH with his four-seam fastball. Petty, the 26th overall pick from 2021, was part of the trade that sent Sonny Gray to the Twins prior to the 2022 season. Depending on his progress, he could be ready to make an impact in the majors later this season.