Which current Reds pitcher will be the 1st to reach 1,000 career strikeouts?

This past week, former Cincinnati Reds pitcher, Luis Castillo recorded his 1,000th career major league strikeout. Castillo spent over five seasons in the Queen City and recorded 860 of his strikeouts in a Reds uniform.

There are 47 active major league pitchers with at least 1,000 career strikeouts, but none of them are on the Cincinnati Reds roster. Luke Weaver leads the current crop of hurlers with 499 punch outs in his career.

There are many factors that go into recording 1,000 strikeouts over the course of a career, with health being chief among them. With the Reds pitching staff featuring multiple first and second-year pitchers that appear to be the a big part of their future, the organization has no shortage of hurlers that can potentially achieve such a feat.

Which current Reds pitcher will be the 1st to reach 1,000 career strikeouts?

Between the trio of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft, Greene leads them in strikeouts (244) and K/9 (11.9). Lodolo isn't far behind in these two categories, especially after his first seven starts in 2023, where he struck out over 12 batters per nine innings. Ashcraft isn't necessarily a strikeout-pitcher with 112 career punch outs.

Through just over a season, Greene has shown an improved ability to use his slider and is beginning to use his changeup. The continued improvement of these two off-speed pitches will be the difference between Greene being the team's ace or a No. 2 or 3 starter.

Greene has received a lot of criticism for being just a thrower, but that narrative is wrong; especially in the wake of his outing this past Friday at Wrigley Field. Greene is throwing his slider over 40-percent of the time, recording 28 strikeouts and allowing less than a .230 batting average in 2023.

The continued growth of Hunter Greene is anticipated and expected. Through this development, he will strike more and more batters out. While the Cincinnati Reds have multiple candidates to reach 1,000 career strikeouts, expect Greene to be the first to do so, and expect him to do it by his sixth or seventh season.