Baseball America has released their first mock draft of the year. Carlos Collazo has taken a shot at how the first round will play out in June. The Cincinnati Reds hold the 12th overall pick in the draft in 2020 after finishing 75-87 last year. So in the first mock draft of the year, who does Baseball America and Collazo have the Reds selecting? Louisville left-handed starting pitcher Reid Detmers. Last week Detmers was rated as the 11th best prospect in the draft class at Baseball America.
From a pure numbers standpoint, Reid Detmers had an off-the-charts good season in 2019 with Louisville. The Cardinals lefty posted a 12-4 record with a 2.85 ERA. He made 17 starts and threw 107.1 innings. In that stretch he allowed just 68 hits – though 11 of those were home runs – and walked 27 batters. But it’s the strikeout total that really jumps off of the page. Detmers struck out 162 batters on the season. He only faced 420 on the season. That’s a 39% strikeout rate as a sophomore. As a freshman he posted a 4.85 ERA as he split time between the rotation (eight starts) and bullpen (ten appearances). In his 55.2 innings he walked 34 batters and had 69 strikeouts. He improved across the board, but saw big gains in his control.
Reid Detmers Scouting Report
Re-working his mechanics following his freshman season played a big role in the step forward he took during the 2019 season. The left-handed starter saw his control improve, and with is his confidence. He only throws in the low-90’s as of now, rarely topping 92 MPH. But he can throw the pitch wherever he wants it to be. He’ll mix in a plus curveball in the low-70’s. There’s also an average change up and an average slider to work with.
Among the pitchers in the draft, Reid Detmers may be the most polished pitcher of them all. His stuff doesn’t quite stack up as well as a few of the guys at the top of the draft, and his fastball isn’t going to be in the upper 90’s like a Cole Wilcox or Emerson Hancock. But he’s a strike thrower with quality stuff who could move very quickly, too.