Reds report card: Grading Andrew Abbott's promising 2023 season

Andrew Abbott, unexpectedly, made his major league debut this season. After injuries rocked the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation, it became necessary to add Abbott to the 40-man roster.

With Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo on the injured list, the Reds had a void in their starting rotation. After dominating the competition in the minors, Cincinnati made the decision to give Abbott a chance to shine.

The left-hander was a second-round draft pick of the Reds just two years ago, so Abbott didn't have a ton of experience in the minor leagues. But as a four-year player at the University of Virginia, Abbott had plenty of participation in high-level situations.

Reds report card: Grading Andrew Abbott's promising 2023 season

Andrew Abbott debuted in early-June, and the left-hander hit the ground running. Abbott made three starts in the big leagues before ever giving up a run. In five starts through the month of June, Abbott was 4-0 with a sparkling 1.21 ERA and 30 punch outs in 29.2 innings of work.

Abbot showed more of the same in July, but appeared to hit a wall once the calendar flipped to August. During the dog days of summer, Abbott made five starts while posting a 6.06 ERA and a WHIP of 1.73.

September saw Abbott post similar numbers (6.10 ERA 1.74 WHIP), and it was obvious that Abbott was fatigued at this point in the season. Abbott accumulated a total of 163.1 innings pitched this past season, blowing past his previous career-high of 118 innings from 2022.

That's nearly a 30-percent increase, and at a much higher level of competition. And to Abbott's credit, the southpaw never used fatigue as an excuse. That said, as the season waned, the Reds attempted to get Abbott some extra days rest in order to preserve his stamina.

Andrew Abbott is a gamer! The 24-year-old looks the part, and will undoubtedly be part of the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation next season. There were times in 2023 when you could argue he was the best pitcher in the Reds clubhouse. Let's hope he can duplicate that performance in 2024.