Former Cincy pitcher offers fascinating comp for Reds' first round pick Chase Burns

The Cincinnati Reds provided the first surprise of the 2024 MLB Draft this past Sunday when they selected pitcher Chase Burns out of Wake Forest with the second overall pick. While very few mock drafts had the Reds taking the flamethrower, a former Cincinnati All-Star pitcher predicted the selection hours before the pick.

Danny Graves, a Reds Hall of Famer, works as a studio analyst for the ACC Network and had a front row seat to many of Burns' starts at while pitching for the Demon Deacons this year. In another tweet prior to the draft on Sunday, the former closer compared Burns to Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom and All-Star starter Paul Skenes.

Former Reds pitcher Danny Graves compares Chase Burns to All-Star starter Paul Skenes

It’s important to note that Graves didn’t say that Burns would be the next Skenes or put up numbers equivalent to the Pirates rookie. He simply said, “Chase Burns isn’t far behind Paul Skenes.”

Like Skenes, Burns transferred to a new school for his junior year of college and flourished. Burns went 10-1 with a 2.70 ERA and had 191 strikeouts over 100 innings pitched while garnering ACC Pitcher of the Year honors. Those numbers aren’t quite as good as Skenes’ junior season at LSU, but they’re close. And Burns did record more strikeouts per nine innings pitched (17.2) than Skenes (15.3 K/9).

Both pitchers have a similar arsenal highlighted by a fastball that can reach triple digits and a wipeout slider in the high 80s. While at Wake Forest, Burns was able to feature four pitches, which included mid-80s changeup and a high 70s curveball. If those two pitches continue to develop, Burns isn’t far behind Skenes at all.

It has yet to be determined as to whether or not the Reds will have Burns pitch for the organization this year, but the right-hander was the most major league-ready pitcher in this year’s draft.

It’s likely that Cincinnati will be cautious with Burns and have him follow a path similar to last year's first-rounder Rhett Lowder. But don’t be surprised if Burns is in the big leagues at this time next year, either. He’s not far behind Skenes, after all.

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