Where should 2023 MLB draft pick Rhett Lowder begin his Reds career?

The Cincinnati Reds added to their plethora of young talent earlier this month during the 2023 MLB Draft. With their first-round draft pick, Cincinnati selected Wake Forest pitcher Rhett Lowder.

Outside of LSU's Paul Skenes, who went No. 1 overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Lowder was the most polished, major league-ready player taken in the draft. There's a good chance that Lowder could follow in the footsteps of Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott and be fast-tracked to the major leagues.

But would the Reds be bold enough to allow Lowder to make his professional debut at Double-A? While Lowder may be considered an advanced pitching prospect, that seems like a bit of a stretch.

Where should 2023 MLB draft pick Rhett Lowder begin his Reds career?

Oftentimes, the best predictor of the future is the past. In 2019, the Cincinnati Reds sent Nick Lodolo to Rookie-Level Billings before moving him to Low-A Daytona. With the Pioneer League no longer affiliated with Major League Baseball, Andrew Abbott made his professional debut in 2021 in the Arizona Complex League.

But these brief stops (11.1 innings pitched for Lodolo and 2.0 innings pitched for Abbott), are little more than a tune up for college pitchers and Reds fans should expect Rhett Lowder to follow a similar path.

Lowder is polished enough in both his mechanics and approach that Cincinnati could deploy the 22-year-old at High-A Dayton after a quick warm up in the Arizona Complex League.

Reds fans have seen the quick ascent of many top pitching prospects already this season. While pitchers like Levi Stoudt, Andrew Abbott, and Brandon Williamson have made it to the big leagues, hurlers like Lyon Richardson, Connor Phillips, and Julian Aguiar have made tremendous strides this season as well.

Rhett Lowder will join that group very soon, and with his three-pitch repertoire and advanced skillset, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Cincinnati Reds first-round pick move through the pipeline rather quickly.