The 2024 minor league season didn’t have many standout performances for the Cincinnati Reds organization. There wasn’t a hitter who really stood out and there weren’t many pitchers who were even all that good. But one guy had a big time performance on the mound – Nestor Lorant – and it led to him earning the Player of the Year Award here at RedsMinorLeagues.com.
The 2024 season began for Nestor Lorant with Single-A Daytona. The right-handed pitcher wasn’t in the rotation, but was working in a piggy back system where he came out of the bullpen to throw multiple innings. To say that the season started out well for Lorant would be an understatement. He allowed one run in his first seven games, covering 25.0 innings for the Tortugas.
In back-to-back outings he allowed runs on May 21st and the 26th, giving up six runs in 8.2 innings. He would only allow seven runs over the next 12 weeks for Daytona as he continued his dominant run that included him moving into the rotation in early July. After dominating in the Florida State League, the Cincinnati Reds promoted him to High-A Dayton where he would thrown 8.2 innings in three games to finish the season.
When all was said and done, Nestor Lorant had thrown 96.1 innings in 25 games between his time with Daytona and Dayton. His ERA was 1.68 as he went 8-3 with three saves. The 22-year-old allowed just three home runs all season, walked just 26 batters (and two of those were intentional walks), and he struck out 109 of the 367 hitters that he faced.
Among pitchers in the organization who threw at least 70 innings, Lorant’s 1.68 ERA was the only one under 3.04. His .186 average against was one of only two marks under .200 and his was the best on the farm. Opponents managed just a .257 on-base percentage against him, which was also the best in the organization. Only two pitchers had an OPS against under the .600 mark on the farm and his .530 led the way by nearly 60 points. His .273 slugging percentage against was 2nd best in the farm system.
There wasn’t really much of a second thought this year about who the winner of this one should be. Nestor Lorant’s season was just on a very different level than that of anyone else in the farm system for the Reds in 2024.
Nestor Lorant’s 2024 Stats
