Ex-Reds pitcher is backing up his previous criticism with dominant results for Phillies

Levi Stoudt never amounted to much during his tenure with the Cincinnati Reds. He made four appearances for the Reds in 2023, including two starts, and went 0-1 with a 9.58 ERA, nine strikeouts, and eight walks.

He was designated for assignment by the Reds just before spring training began in 2024 and was claimed off waivers by his former team, the Seattle Mariners. The right-hander offered up some rather disparaging comments about the Reds pitching development that, at the time, sounded more like sour grapes than honest feedback.

Levi Stoudt had some parting words for the Reds in 2024

“It was different. It was a little bit of I’d say lack of direction, in my sense. It was kind of not much of a philosophy. It was kind of just go play baseball and we’ll help you along the way," Stoudt told Ryan Divish the Seattle Times back in 2024.

Stoudt may not have enjoyed his time in the Reds organization, but even after his return to the Mariners, he continued to struggle. He never made it back to the majors and was DFA'd by Seattle in June of 2024. This time, he was plucked off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles, but was DFA'd again a few weeks later.

He remained part of the Orioles organization in 2025, though he wasn't on the 40-man roster, and battled injuries throughout the season. In total, he made just 21 minor league appearances and posted a collective 6.14 ERA before his release last August.

But the Philadelphia Phillies appeared to have unlocked something with Stoudt this season. He was picked up by the Fightin' Phils during the offseason and has spent his entire 2026 campaign in their minor-league system.

He's made a total of 17 appearances, and over 22⅔ innings of work, has yet to allow a single earned run. Stoudt has 23 punch outs on the year to just seven walks, and may finally be on his way back to the big leagues at some point this season.

The Reds could certainly use that type of production in their bullpen at the moment, but given Stoudt's critique of Cincinnati's pitching development, it's doubtful that he would've ever reached that level of success. Some players need a different style of coaching, and whatever they're doing in Philadelphia appears to be working for Stoudt.

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