Graham Ashcraft is carving up hitters, but one Reds arm is stealing his thunder

Graham Ashcraft’s successful jump to the bullpen has dominated much of the Cincinnati Reds’ news this season. For good reason. His slider has the highest run value of any Cincinnati reliever this season. It might not, though, be the best pitch in the ‘pen. That honor belongs to another former starter.

Lyon Richardson has been trying to crack the big league rotation since he made his debut in 2023, and a late 2024 shift to the bullpen has unlocked his potential. The right-hander was once a fastball-heavy starter, but improvements to his sinker and changeup have helped him thrive in the bullpen. Richardson’s sinker has the 10th highest run value per 100 pitches in the majors.

The velocity on Richardson’s sinker and changeup has ticked up a bit this season while his breaking pitches have lost a bit of zip. The growing difference in velocity between his pitches has helped him throw off opponents’ timing. His 9.6 degree launch angle is more in line with his successful 2023 campaign than his 2024 mark.

Forget Graham Ashcraft and Luis Mey, Lyon Richardson has the best pitch in the Reds bullpen

Richardson’s changeup has been his go-to pitch as it has been since his MLB debut. The pitch has produced a 33.3% whiff rate so far in 2025, which is particularly notable since he throws it for a strike 54% of the time. In other words, Richardson is attacking hitters and winning.

For Richardson to continue his success, he will need to keep pounding the zone. Lack of control was a big reason for both his move to the bullpen and his disappearance from MLB.com’s prospect list. In 24 ⅔ innings between Triple-A and the majors this year, Richardson has walked just eight batters (one intentionally), and he has thrown 64% of his pitches for strikes in his Major League outings.

With an injury-prone starting rotation, the Reds need relievers like Richardson and Ashcraft. Both have proven that they can eat innings with multiple 2-plus inning appearances under their belts. They both consistently throw strikes; Ashcraft’s strike rate is 67%. They limit damage by keeping the ball on the ground.

The Reds’ tactic of converting starting pitching prospects into relievers seems to be a bright spot in 2025.

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