MLB scout says the quiet part out loud about Reds prospect Chase Petty

The Cincinnati Reds have a plethora of young arms competing for the fifth starter role. Each one offers its own level of risk, as well as intrigue. But for Chase Petty, the competition might already be a loss.

The soon-to-be 23-year-old had a chance to make his mark last season, but flopped. Hard. Six big league innings don't sound like much of an opportunity, but the Cincinnati Reds' prospect didn't earn much more of a look after posting a 19.50 ERA during that run. Even more concerning, the meltdowns continued for Petty down in Louisville.

Petty has a live arm with velocity that sits in the high 90s and can touch 100 miles per hour, but the Reds might be arriving at the point where an uncomfortable decision regarding his future must be made.

Former MLB scout Keith Law agrees that a change must be made regarding Petty in his Reds' prospect rankings for The Athletic (subscription required).

Chase Petty's future with the Reds might be salvaged by a move to the bullpen

Law agrees with the assessment that Petty might be best served in the bullpen, at least temporarily. The velocity is an easy reason to support the conclusion, with it being easy to imagine that he could add even more juice to his impressive fastball by simply airing it out over an inning, versus conserving energy to get through a lineup multiple times.

The other big impetus for the suggested change is the issues with command that have plagued Petty throughout his career. As the youngster has reached the upper levels of the minors, he's found that he can't simply blow hitters away anymore.

His walk rate rose to 11.2% against Triple-A competition last season, and in the majors, it was a gruesome 20%. Relievers can typically get away with a few more walks, but obviously, a 20% rate is far too high to have success regardless of role.

The other issue is the lack of secondary pitches to help keep hitters off balance. Law breaks it down, writing, "Petty made his MLB debut last year and was 95-98 with a lot of run to the pitch, but nothing else was more than fringe-average, and righties teed off on him — as they did in Triple A. The Reds have given him a sweeper as well as the slider he’s had since high school, with both pitches showing more power than break."

Some finesse to offset the power would be welcome, regardless of role, but in the bullpen, Petty would be able to get away with the occasional "show-me" breaking ball while relying on the heater to get through outings.

With that said, Law isn't ready to write Petty off as a reliever for the long haul. "He might be best suited to a relief role even in the short term while the Reds continue to tinker with his pitch mix."

Some tweaks to the pitch mix would definitely be welcome, but we shouldn't be too down on the idea of Petty becoming a full-time reliever permanently. His fastball is special enough that it could truly play in that role, and high-leverage relievers are valuable.

The Reds' bullpen is in decent shape for 2026, but having a potential relief ace for the long-term is a valuable proposition. Maybe they should embrace that now with the youngster, allowing him an opportunity to fast-track his future.