The Cincinnati Reds made a bit of a surprising selection in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft by selecting right-handed pitcher Chase Burns out of Wake Forest with the No. 2 pick, hoping that the latest in the pipeline from the Deamon Deacons can become a big part of their pitching staff in the future.
Ahead of the draft, the Reds were often mocked to take Charlie Condon, a third baseman/outfielder out of the Georgia baseball program. Condon went at the next pick to the Colorado Rockies.
Mock drafts often had the Rockies taking Chase Burns at the next pick. Instead, the Reds opted to go with Burns over Condon or another popular slugger in Jac Caglianone out of Florida, who fell to No. 6 where the Kansas City Royals took him.
As far as what the Reds are getting with Burns, they are hoping that the fastball velocity and strikeout rate from college translate to professional baseball, similar to Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who they drafted out of LSU last year with the No. 1 overall pick.
Obviously, Burns is not expected to make his way through the minor leagues as quickly as Paul Skenes, but he could eventually be an ace of a staff if he puts it all together with his tools.
Burns played two years with Tennessee, with the first year being more successful as he had a 2.91 ERA in 17 games, according to Baseball Reference. He pitched 80.1 innings that year and racked up 103 strikeouts, good for 11.5 strikeouts per nine.
The next season did not go as well, as he had a 4.25 ERA at Tennessee, but the strikeouts per nine went up to 14.3. He transferred to Wake Forest, where he had his best season, posting a 2.70 ERA with 191 strikeouts, resulting in his strikeouts per nine taking a leap up to 17.2.
Instead of taking a slugger that many expected them to select, the Reds opted for another high-upside pitching prospect to hopefully pair with Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott down the line. It will be worth monitoring how he progresses in the minors right away, as he could be in for a fast trip up the ranks.
How did Reds fans react to the selection of Chase Burns?
There were some mixed reactions to the Reds selecting Burns. Let's get to some of the best reactions after the pick on X.
“That is surprising, love this pick though!” @SkippsviewBrett wrote on X.
“I love Burns but passing on Condon feels like the wrong decision,” @tyler44chow wrote on X.
“Passes the name test so easily,” @ArraezTime02 wrote on X.
“Reach and a half Condon would have been perfect for them,” @OwenSussy11377 wrote on X.
“Considering it's the Reds this isnt surprising but its still terrible.” @trespac502 wrote on X.
“Reds continue to fail. Congrats Rockies. Sucks to be a reds fan.” @DonalsJim68385 wrote on X.
It will be interesting to see if the Reds regret passing on Condon, as many think they will. But usually the talent towards the top of the draft makes an impact in the majors, even though the MLB Draft is arguably the most unpredictable of the major sports.
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