How Andrew Abbott Became One of the Biggest Steals of the 2021 MLB Draft

Andrew Abbott's career trajectory looked completely different after his junior season of college at Virginia. After a transition to becoming a starter, he has quietly become one of the most effective players of his draft class.

Best Player Of The 2021 Draft Class?

Abbott has quietly gotten off to a great start to his big league career. He set the Reds' all-time record by not allowing a run through his first 17 2/3 innings of his career. He is the only pitcher in Major League history (1893) to begin a career with three consecutive scoreless outings of at least five innings. Abbott was a key member of the Reds' young core that broke through in 2023 alongside Elly De La Cruz and fellow draft-class alum Matt McLain, who helped reinvigorate the fanbase with hope after a 100-loss season the year prior. With the 2026 season being the five-year anniversary of this draft class, Abbott is leading them all in WAR at 12.3.

2021 had some really good players drafted. Marcello Meyer, Khalil Watson, Kumar Rocker, Jack Lieter, and Henry Davis headlined the class going in, but the best players of the draft have turned out to be undervalued college pitchers, including Abbott, Mason Miller, and Tanner Bibee. Eight players who were selected have made their big league debut; the Reds have two with Matt McLain and Abbott debuting in 2023.

Transitioning From The Bullpen To The Rotation

Prior to joining Virginia, Abbott was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 36th round but opted to go to college. He was a reliever his first three years of college baseball, pitching 51 innings his freshman year, 44 innings his sophomore year, and 13 1/3 innings his junior season. He transitioned to a starter for his senior season, and it paid off. He pitched 106 2/3 innings with a 2.87 ERA, a 13.7 strikeout-per-nine, and a 2.7 walks-per-nine. That was good enough for the Cincinnati Reds to take him with the 56th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.

Abbott started five games after being drafted in July 2021. Three were in Low-A with Daytona. He allowed six runs in 11 innings but struck out 19 with just four walks. In 2022, he made it Double-A, posting a 4.75 ERA in 20 starts after dominating in Low-A to start the season, striking out 40 batters in 27 innings. In 97 innings with Chattanooga, he struck out 119 batters in 91 innings. He pitched three games for Double-A before reaching Triple-A Louisville in 2023, making seven starts with 54 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings. Batters hit just .193 against him in Triple-A before he made his big league debut that summer. He quietly became one of the Reds' more effective pitchers and was selected to the All-Star team in 2025 for the first time and had Cy Young votes.

In 2023, Abbott went 8-6 with a 3.87 ERA. In 2024, his first full season, he was 10-10 with a 3.72 ERA. A common theme for him was that he started the year strong, but struggled in August and September. In 2023, he had an ERA of 6.08 in August and 6.10 in September. In 2024, his ERA was 3.39 at the All-Star break and was 4.83 after. He adjusted his workout regimen to strengthen his legs, helping him reach the finish line with nearly the same success rate as at the beginning of the season. That paid off with 2025 being his overall best season from start to finish, going 10-7 with a 2.87 ERA in a career-high 166 1/3 innings. He struck out 149 batters and had a batting average against of .235.

Before making his debut, MLB Network's Al Leiter compared Abbott to Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine while they were near the same age and point in their careers.

"I see a guy who's 6 feet tall. Doesn't throw 95 to 100 (mph)," Leitersaid on MLB Network's "MLB Central."Of course, from the left side, you get a reprieve because you don't have to throw as hard, generally speaking. … Great kid, great family. … I hate to do comparisons this early. But when I see his disposition and size, I see a young Tom Glavine. Curveball better than Tommy's. And Tommy's change-up is better. And (Abbott's) command's not there yet. But he's got a fastball that if you watch it, it's firm. … The curveball spin rate is elite already. He throws an elevated high fastball with curveball down in the zone, occasional change-up to righties. … He was in Double-A for a short time. He struck out 20 percent of the batters he faced. He's 54 innings in the minor leagues, 90 strikeouts. … He knows who he is. Yeah, I get excited about a guy like this."

Abbott has stepped up in May. After a slow start, he is back to looking like the pitcher he has been throughout his career. With Hunter Greene potentially rejoining the team in July, Nick Lodolo starting to get more comfortable, and Chase Burns currently the ace of the staff, the Reds' rotation is in a good spot going into the summer months.

Add us as a preferred source on Google