Baseball America's way-too-early 2027 mock draft has Reds betting on a trusted pipeline

When it comes to the MLB draft, when the Cincinnati Reds aren't selecting athletic shortstops with their first-round pick, they're taking high-end pitching talent. Before picking Justin Lebron this year and Steele Hall the year before, the Reds went back-to-back pitchers in the first round with Rhett Lowder in 2023 and Chase Burns in 2024.

Not only were Lowder and Burns both pitchers, but they were also teammates at Wake Forest University. While the verdict is still out on Lowder, there have been flashes from him in between the injuries and growing pains.

In the case of Burns, however, the budding ace has been so good that the club bestowed upon him a rare pre-arb extension. The $105 million deal isn't just a huge deal for a young pitcher; it's one of the largest contracts ever in franchise history.

It would seem, then, that Cincinnati would have an affinity for Wake Forest arms, and that's exactly what we see in Baseball America's forward-looking 2027 mock draft. The experts over there have the Reds picking up Wake Forest right-hander Chris Levonas.

Projected Reds' 2027 first-round pick shares a lot in common with Chase Burns

It's not uncommon for MLB organizations to develop an affinity for certain college programs. For example, if you like the way a certain school develops pitchers, you're naturally going to favor that school's hurlers in the draft. However, with Levonas, it goes beyond simply liking the school or the coaching staff. Here's what Baseball America had to say about the hot shot arm.

"Levonas has premium stuff headlined by a fastball that sits in upper 90s and has been up to 101 mph with great carry and extension. He has an assortment of strong secondaries, and dominated for Wake Forest as a full-time starter in 2026, when he posted a 2.82 ERA over 15 starts and 73.1 innings. His 38.9% strikeout rate was the fourth-best mark in the country among qualified Division I pitchers."

Sound familiar? That's basically the scouting report on Burns. Could you imagine having two of these guys in the same rotation? It would be the stuff dreams are made of.

Coming out of his New Jersey high school, Levonas was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 67th overall pick of the 2024 draft. Levonas ultimately spurned them, intent on fulfilling his commitment to Wake Forest. Say what you want about the Brewers, but they certainly have an eye for pitching talent.

A lot can happen between now and next year's draft, so we can't get ahead of ourselves. With that said, Levonas is a name to file away and keep an eye on next spring. By all accounts, the young flamethrower has a bright future ahead of him.

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