After spending 2019 with Greeneville and then sitting out the 2020 year, Graham Ashcraft got an invite to “early minor league spring training” in 2021. That was the small, but select group of just 18 players that weren’t technically in big league camp but were playing on the backfields and would occasionally get into some of the big league games.
When the minor league season began in May, the Cincinnati Reds sent Graham Ashcraft to join the High-A Dayton Dragons. In his first start he had some struggles, giving up two runs on two hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. He rebounded well in the next two starts, giving up just three earned runs in 10.1 combined innings while striking out 15 batters with just two walks.
On May 25th the big righty took on Quad Cities and things did not go well. The River Bandits touched him up for five runs in just 1.2 innings. That was a turning point in the season for Ashcraft. Later that week he would get another shot at Quad Cities and he would get his revenge, throwing 5.0 shutout innings. That start began a streak of seven consecutive starts where Ashcraft didn’t allow an earned run. Four of those starts came with Dayton. Three more came after a promotion to Double-A Chattanooga – the first of which was a 2-hit shutout that featured eight strikeouts in a complete game.
From May 30th through July 4th he threw 43.0 innings and allowed just 17 hits and 13 walks while holding opponents to a .328 OPS and striking out 49 of the 154 hitters he faced in that span.
On July 10th Graham Ashcraft was scheduled to start for Chattanooga, but rain showed up right before 1st pitch was set to go and it rained hard enough in a short period of time that the game was postponed. Given the timing, though, it pushed his start a few days and he took the mound on July 13th against Pensacola. He extended his streak to 44.0 innings without allowing an earned run with a shutout 1st inning. But things fell apart in the 2nd inning as he wound up being charged with seven earned runs, and another unearned run, without recording an out in the 2nd inning.
Taking on the same Pensacola team the next time out, Ashcraft fired 6.0 shutout innings. That was followed up with 7.0 shutout innings against Birmingham. Things did slow down a bit from there, but they almost had to given that he had given up earned runs in one of his last 10 starts. In the final eight starts of the year he was solid, allowing more than three earned runs in just one start – giving up five in 5.2 innings on August 11th against Birmingham.
For all 2021 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).
Graham Ashcraft Scouting Report
Position: Right-handed pitcher | B/T: R/L
Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 240 lbs | Drafted: 6th Round, 2019
Born: February 11, 1998
Fastball | A plus pitch that features both good velocity and high ground ball tendencies. It works in the mid-to-upper 90’s and touched 100.
Slider | His main secondary offering, the slider works in the upper 80’s and is another plus offering.
Curveball | A new pitch for 2021 that was developed prior to the season, it’s a second breaking ball that will show up on occasion and is a solid-average pitch.
Change Up | A fringe-average offering that doesn’t show up as often as the fastball or slider.
The Cincinnati Reds had a few breakout prospects in 2021 and Graham Ashcraft was near the top of that list. The right-hander made 22 starts on the season and posted a 3.00 ERA in 111.0 innings between High-A Dayton (8 starts) and Double-A Chattanooga (14 starts) while striking out 129 batters and giving up just four home runs.
His 59% ground ball rate was among the best in the minor leagues among starting pitchers, and it was better at the Double-A level, too (60% compared to 55% in High-A). His ability to get elite ground ball rates as well as plenty of strikeouts makes him a bit of a unicorn – most pitchers can get one or the other, but very few can do both and the ones that do tend to be quite good. And to top it off, he throws strikes, too.
While there’s not any Triple-A experience under his belt, Graham Ashcraft is close to being able to help in the big leagues. While he has been starting, and should remain a starter long term, there’s a very quick path to the big league bullpen if the organization wants to take advantage of it.
Interesting Stat on Graham Ashcraft
He held left-handed hitters to a .164 average and a .193 slugging percentage (two doubles, one home run allowed) in 171 at-bats during the 2021 season.
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