The Reds selected Andrew Abbott with their 2nd round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Abbott was the first pitcher they selected and there was good reason for that. The 6-foot tall left handed pitcher was coming off of a very dominant season for the Virginia Cavaliers.
Abbott was the only left handed pitcher that the Reds selected in the 2021 MLB Draft. He signed his deal for $1,300,000, which is just $70,000 under the slot value at his pick. That is rather impressive for Abbott, as college seniors are typically heavily undervalued as they hold no leverage in the negotiations.
Abbott spent most of his college career as a reliever. Through his first three seasons, Abbott appeared in 56 games, only three of those being starts. He was rather effective as well, holding an ERA lower than four in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He was also really impressive in the shortened Covid season, posting a 1.35 ERA in nine appearances before the season was canceled.
Along with holding respectable ERAs, Abbott has always been a high strikeout pitcher. In his freshman season, he posted 78 strikeout and 16 walks in just 51 innings. As a sophomore, he added 59 punchouts and 25 walks in only 44 innings. During the shortened season, he struck out an astounding 28 batters in 13.1 innings.
The most excitement came from his senior season. He tallied 106.66 innings and held an ERA at 2.87. The most impressive part was his 162 strikeouts and a shockingly low amount of walks. Just 32 free passes in over 100 innings. Abbott added a huge exclamation point on his college career in his final home start, where he racked up 16 strikeouts in 7.33 innings while allowing 0 hits.
Abbott has an above average fastball, that sits in the low to mid 90s, topping out at 95. He showcased good command of the pitch, which led to the incredible strikeout numbers. He also features a changeup, which is used more to induce weak contact rather than for a swing and miss pitch. It helped produce a lot of groundballs and some weak flyouts.
His most impressive pitch is his breaking ball. Many label it as a curveball but at times, it can resemble a slider too. His breaking ball is a true swing and miss pitch and is a nightmare to face as a left handed hitter. Abbott used his breaking ball a ton this past season. More often than not, it came with tremendous results.
No matter what anybody thinks about his pitches, his projectability, his role on a team, or anything else than can be used to put this prospect down, one thing cannot be debated: His mentality.
The best way to describe it is a bulldog mentality. Abbott will do whatever it takes to win. He will fill in any role and will go to whatever it takes to get the best from himself when he is on the mound. He is a true team first player who will compete like he is fighting for his life.
This mentality is not something that can be taught. This mentality is what has helped Abbott get to the point he is at. It will continue to help him through the minors and up into the major leagues. He is a competitor that will be a true terror to face at any level.
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