Carlson Reed was the Pirates Prospects 2024 Breakout Prospect of the Year in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system.
The Pirates drafted Reed in the fourth round in 2023 as a reliever out of West Virginia. He had the chance for multiple above-average pitches, but below-average control. The Pirates opted to turn the 21-year-old into a starter this year in Single-A Bradenton. At the least, it would allow him more innings to work on his pitches and control.
Reed responded with a 2.43 ERA in 77.2 innings across 17 starts with the Marauders. He struck out 96 and walked 42. The season walk rate was high, but Reed improved his control as the season progressed. He walked 16 in 38 innings during his final two months in Bradenton.
The Pirates promoted Reed to Greensboro at the end of the season, where the right-hander took a step forward. In six starts, Reed had an 0.87 ERA across 31 innings, with 34 strikeouts and nine walks. The control improvements continued. He also was difficult to hit, with a .106 average against.
Reed’s fastball sits 94 MPH, touching 96. He also throws a slider that gets a high whiff rate, along with a sinker, changeup, and sweeper. Reed was one of the best strikeout pitchers in the system this year, and was consistently hard to hit. Once his control improved, he became lights out.
After his strong finish, Reed looks like a candidate ready for a push to Altoona in 2025. He threw around 110 innings this year, and could push that total closer to 150 with a full season in the Double-A rotation. This would also provide a test for his stuff and his improved control.
The 2024 season showed Reed as a potential MLB arm, with the stuff to be a reliever, and the potential to be a starter. There’s no reason to move him off the starter track any time soon, following the initial results.
