Chase Petty is slipping into a pattern Reds fans have learned to dread

Chase Petty entered the 2025 season as the Cincinnati Reds’ next big thing. Now, after a pair of disastrous starts in the majors, the right-hander is looking like the farm system flops of years past. Petty needs to get his stuff under control if he wants to avoid the fate of the other CP prospect: Connor Phillips.

Phillips was a Top 100 prospect prior to 2024 according to MLB.com, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus, but a sudden fall from grace booted him from the upper rungs of the minors and relegated him to the Arizona Complex League. At the heart of his struggles was a lack of command that resulted in 7.9 BB/9 at Triple-A before being shut down.

Reds pitcher Chase Petty needs to find his command to avoid following Connor Phillips’ path

Petty hasn’t been that bad. In fact, his Triple-A stats are exactly what you’d want to see out of a top prospect: more than 10 Ks per 9, a sub-.300 BABIP, and a 1.14 WHIP. In the majors, though, he has been completely unable to find his touch. In just 5 ⅓ innings, Petty has allowed 13 runs and walked eight.

It’s not the first time that Petty and Phillips have had similar paths. Both joined the Reds via trade in March 2022, and both were subject to high expectations. Both offer a blazing fastball and are capable of striking out opponents in droves.

Because Petty has been relatively successful at Triple-A, it seems unlikely that the Reds will completely restart him as they did Phillips, but Petty needs to figure out the underlying cause of his big-league meltdowns. The Reds are in dire need of pitching depth, and a Petty that fulfills his potential would help the team tread water.

For now, Petty seems like he’s going to be bouncing back and forth between Triple-A and the majors, and each time his name appears on the lineup card, Reds fans will hold their breath. It may be that Petty ultimately goes the way of Phillips and Graham Ashcraft and finds himself in the bullpen. For now, the Reds seem content to wait and see how the young pitcher figures things out.

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