3 Reds players on-pace to be All-Stars in 2023 through 30 games

2. Reds RHP Graham Ashcraft is on-pace to be an All-Star in 2023.

Before the season, both Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo were jockeying for position to be named the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day starter. Greene was given the nod and also signed a six-year contract extension.

Lodolo, who's status as a former first-round draft combined with lanky 6-foot-6 frame and left-handed delivery have made him a darling among the baseball pundits and experts.

But when it comes to being flat-out filthy, Graham Ashcraft takes the cake. The right-hander has been Cincinnati's best starting pitcher this season and it still feels as though he's not getting enough credit for his performance thus far.

One thing that Ashcraft does is pitch to contact. Most viewers want to see 10-plus strikeouts and 100-plus mph fastballs, but that's not Ashcraft's game. The former sixth-round pick works quickly and relies on his defense to help him out. Ashcraft, according o FanGraphs, owns a ground ball-rate of 56.1-percent.

While Lodolo has been plagued by his 25.8-percent HR/FB-rate and Greene has been hampered by extended innings that result in short outings, Ashcraft has kept the ball in the ballpark and has gone six or more innings in almost every single start this season. Ashcraft is on track to make it to the Midsummer Classic in 2023 if he keeps pitching like this.