Reds prospect Andrew Abbott has turned a corner with back-to-back scoreless outings

Andrew Abbott had his fair share of struggles after jumping from High-A Dayton to Double Chattanooga. But lately, the left-hander has been utterly dominant for the Lookouts.

Abbott, whom the Cincinnati Reds selected with the 53rd overall pick in last year's draft, has rocketed up through the farm system. A reliever turned starter at the University of Virginia, Abbott was so impressive during his 11 innings of work at Low-A Daytona in 2021 that the Reds decided the southpaw was ready for High-A to begin the 2022 season.

Abbott was virtually unstoppable during his five appearances for the Dayton Dragons earlier this season. The 23-year-old posted a 38.8% strikeout-rate and a meager walk-rate of just 6.8% and an ERA of just 0.68. It's no wonder that Cincinnati chose to bump Abbott up to the next level of competition.

After some hiccups, Reds prospect Andrew Abbott is hitting his stride.

Of course with an increase in competition will come the need for adjustments. While it's easy to assume that Andrew Abbott knew he would be facing tougher competition once he joined Double-A Chattanooga, sometimes you just don't know until you get there.

Abbott pitched a scoreless outing during his first game for the Lookouts, going 5.2 innings and striking out 12 batters. Admit it, even you thought there was outside chance that Abbott would make his way to The Show this season. But the next time out was a bit more humbling for the left-hander.

In fact, the nine starts after his initial entry into Double-A saw Abbott post an ERA of 6.97 while striking out 47 batters but also walking 17. The 26.4% strikeout-rate is solid, but his walk-rate (9.6%) was just shy of double digits.

While the walks have still given Abbott fits in his last nine starts, the former Virginia Cavalier has posted a 31.0% strikeout-rate over his last nine starts. Along with that, the left has put up an ERA of 3.89 and a 0.46 HR/9.

But Andrew Abbott has been in absolute control of the game during his last two starts. Abbott has gone 10 innings, struck out 13 batters (38.2%) while only walking two (5.9%). If Abbott can finish out his 2022 campaign strong, it's safe to assume that the left-hander will be in the mix for next year's starting rotation, and at the very least, be part of the Reds Triple-A roster.