Cincinnati Reds: 3 pitchers poised to breakout in 2021

Which three Reds pitchers will have breakout performances in 2021?

Pitching was the Cincinnati Reds calling card in 2020, and the team may need to lean heavily on its hurlers once again. Despite losing the likes of Trevor Bauer, Raisel Iglesias, and Anthony DeSclafani, Cincinnati will need its pitching staff to show up in a big way during the upcoming season. Which three pitchers will breakout in 2021?

Bauer is gone! Now, it’s time for the Reds and their fans to move on. Luis Castillo is the ace of this team going forward, and I for one believe he has the potential to be better than Bauer. Slot in Sonny Gray behind La Piedra, and Cincinnati has a formidable one-two punch atop their rotation. Tyler Mahle proved he can be a big league starter and will occupy the No. 3 spot behind Castillo and Gray.

While Wade Miley and Michael Lorenzen are the leaders in the clubhouse to take the final two spots in the starting rotation, there’s a lot to be sorted out in Goodyear this spring. The addition of Sean Doolittle brings experience to the backend of the Cincinnati bullpen, but there’s sure to be a tight competition for the role of closer for the upcoming season as well.

The Cincinnati Reds haven’t done much to address the losses in free agency, but there are plenty of young pitchers within the organization who’d like to prove their worth. Which three pitchers will breakout in 2021?

Tejay Antone, Reds right-handed pitcher

Tejay Antone will be on the Opening Day roster. The question is, will he be in the starting rotation or part of the relief corps. My gut tells me we’ll see Antone coming out of the bullpen, but if Wade Miley or Michael Lorenzen falter, Antone could snag one of the final spots in the rotation.

We saw Antone emerge from prospect to major leaguer last season. The right-hander posted a 2.80 ERA in 13 games including four starts. Antone’s splits show that he performed much better out of the bullpen in 2020.

The former fifth-round draft pick went 16.1 innings as a starter, posting a 3.86 ERA and allowed a .789 OPS versus opposing hitters. When coming out of the bullpen, Antone’s ERA was just 1.89 and he struck out 12.8 batters per nine innings as opposed to his 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings as a starting pitcher.

Tyler Mahle, Reds right-handed pitcher

Tyler Mahle is not yet a household name among baseball fans, but I expect that to change in 2021. Since he was called up to the big leagues in 2018, we’ve seen glimpses of Mahle’s skillset, but there was always reason for doubt. After the strides the 26-year-old made last season, Mahle looks poised to take his game to the next level.

Mahle was an afterthought heading into spring training last February. Everybody had the right-hander pegged to start the season at Triple-A Louisville, but an injury to Anthony DeSclafani paved the way for Mahle to make the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster. Mahle turned that opportunity into a successful 2020 campaign, and there’s no doubt he’ll be part of the 26-man roster in 2021.

The top two positions in Cincinnati’s starting rotation are set. Luis Castillo will likely take the hill on Opening Day for the second time in three years, and he’ll be followed by last year’s Opening Day starter, Sonny Gray. Mahle will occupy the No. 3 spot in the Reds starting rotation. Remember, after leaving camp last season, that was Trevor Bauer’s spot in the rotation.

Now, I’m not expecting Mahle to win the Cy Young Award in 2021, but the numbers he put up last season should be very encouraging to Reds fans. The California native went 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA, striking out 60 batters over 47.2 innings of work. Mahle’s K9 jumped from 8.95 in 2019 to 11.33 in 2020 according to FanGraphs. His strikeout-rate also soared to a career-best of 29.9%.

Tyler Mahle’s presence on the Cincinnati Reds roster is one of the reasons you heard Sonny Gray’s name emerge in trade talks this offseason. With Castillo, Mahle, and the young duo of Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene ascending through the farm system, Cincinnati’s starting rotation looks to be in good hands moving forward.