Cincinnati Reds Linked to Promising Southpaw in MLB Draft

The Cincinnati Reds have a lot of different ways they could go about the ninth pick in the mLB Draft this year. One way that was presented in a recent mock draft has them landing a very highly rated left-handed college pitcher.

In Keith Law’s recent mock draft for The Athletic, the Reds select Jamie Arnold, left-handed pitcher from Florida State.

Some have ranked Arnold as one of the top players in this draft class, but regardless of his ranking, all agree that a few pitchers have surpassed him. He trailed only Chase Burns and Hagen Smith (two top picks last year) in strikeouts for 2024, but he reportedly lost some velocity in 2025.

Regardless, his stuff is amazing. His fastball is around 92-95 MPH and can reach as high as 98. The biggest concern with it is the command was more of a concern in 2025 than it was in 2024.

His best pitch is his slider that acts like a sweeper most of the time. Scouts give it a plus grade.

He has a changeup, but it is a work in progress.

Honestly, the profile feels like Nick Lodolo. He has a low-three quarters arm slot on his delivery that creates some deception to his pitches because the flat approach angle. Add that to his pitch mix and you see what I am getting at.

Scouts see him as a potential middle of the rotation kind of starting pitcher. This would be a solid pick for the Reds at No. 9.

You can see the full mock draft here.