This recovering Reds prospect is starting to look like something special

In the Cincinnati Reds’ pitching-rich farm system, it can be hard to stand out. Rhett Lowder grabbed most of the headlines in 2024, and Chase Burns has been the focus so far this season. However, when a player shows up at Low-A Daytona with an un-hittable fastball, he’s going to get some attention. So far, right-hander Ty Floyd is doing just that.

After being drafted out of LSU in 2023, Floyd missed a whole season due to shoulder surgery. The delayed debut doused some of the anticipation that his record-setting College World Series performance created, but since his pro debut this month, the fervor has been ramping up again. Floyd appears to be a strikeout machine, much like he was in college, and could be the next Reds rising star.

Floyd’s success has largely been due to his fastball. According to Statcast, he throws both a four-seam fastball and a sinker with similar profiles. Both pitches average about 92 mph, but the four-seamer has more downward movement while the sinker has more arm-side movement. More importantly, they are both un-hittable.

Ty Floyd’s hot-start could make him the top Reds prospect to watch in 2025

Over five starts, Floyd has thrown 73 fastballs (22 of those categorized as four-seamers). So far, opposing batters have failed to record a hit. He has recorded eight strikeouts looking and nine whiffs with his heater. Just as in college, no one seems to have quite figured out the pitch, which often seems to rise through the top of the zone as Floyd climbs the ladder.

These results, though, come as a bit of a surprise. Floyd reportedly sat in the mid-90s and touched 98 while in college. That velocity hasn’t yet appeared in the pros. Without the high heat, Floyd needs to rely more on his secondary pitches: the slider and changeup.

Floyd’s slider has been as impressive as his fastball, and he has yet to give up a hit on the pitch. However, his changeup is his weak point. It has accounted for nearly 15% of his pitches, and he only throws it for a strike 37.5% of the time.

Floyd is still quite early in his professional career and is being eased back into a full workload. The stuff plays well at Class-A, and he could be in Dayton soon. If he develops his change and slider, he could be a breakout candidate this season.

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