Reds rookie hurler earns praise from four-time All-Star
Through only six Major League starts, Cincinnati Reds rookie starting pitcher Andrew Abbott has already begun to turn heads and even opponents are beginning to take notice.
Following another strong performance by Abbott in Sunday's 4-1 Reds victory, San Diego Padres four-time All-Star Xander Bogaerts came away impressed by the first-year hurler.
"His fastball seems like it's coming, I mean top part of the zone as a strike and then it just ends up like... it has nice run on it," Bogaerts told Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It's not like he's throwing 97 with it. It might feel a little bit like that."
Abbott didn't earn a decision against the Padres, but certainly pitched well enough to win. The 24-year-old threw 7 2/3 innings, allowing only one earned run off four hits while striking out 12. He now holds a 4-0 record with a 1.21 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 37.1 innings of work.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, Abbott is the first pitcher since 1900 to record 40 or more strikeouts while allowing five earned runs or fewer over their first six starts.
A second-round pick by the Reds in the 2021 MLB Draft, Abbott couldn't have hoped for a better start to his pro career. However, although he's only been with the big-league club for roughly a month, Abbott isn't resting on his laurels and already sounds like a seasoned veteran.
"Getting there is the dream, but staying there is the lifestyle that you want," Abbott said via Bally Sports Cincinnati. "You want to go in, do your hard work every day, put your head down and go. That's forever been my motto and that will continue to be no matter if I'm having success or if I'm hitting the hard road."
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