Reds Ace Chase Burns Opens Up About Pitching Mindset That's Led to His Success

The Reds have an ace on their hands with young flamethrower Chase Burns.

Aug 14, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns (26) reacts after a play in the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Reds have struggled for the most part this season, yet they float right around .500 with a handful of weeks left in the regular season. This season has felt much worse than it actually is because the Reds struggle tremendously in games started by pitchers other than Chase Burns.

They're 17-6 in Burns' 23 starts this year, while the righty holds a 14-2 record. On the season, the Reds were 59-62 coming into Saturday's game against the Miami Marlins. That means they are 42-56 in the 98 games started by pitchers besides Burns. That's uncompetitive. Burns is almost single-handedly keeping them afloat this season with his consistent dominance.

After his most recent dominant outing, Burns was asked about how he attacks hitters and what his mindset is. His answer is going to come as a shock to many, including the old-school pitching coaches of the world.

How Does Chase Burns Attack Hitters?

Aug 14, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns (26) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Like I said, just fill up the zone. I'm not trying to be too perfect. Line it up. Try to let them put it in play," Burns said. "I'm not a big in, out, up, and down guy. I'm kind of just throw it down the middle and let it eat. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I think it's been working so far.

Burns has two elite pitchers with his electric fastball and his devastating slider. The only issue he might run into is command and falling behind. As a result, aiming for the middle of the zone and letting it eat makes perfect sense.

He's not a finesse pitcher. He's not a command artist. The Reds ace is a power pitcher with elite offerings that allow him to dominate in the zone. His 8.8 percent walk rate isn't elite, but it's serviceable considering how difficult it is to find a barrel off of him. The reason that this strategy works so well is because Burns has an elite 80 percent zone contact rate.

It's always very intriguing to get a deeper dive into the mind of the best pitchers and athletes on the planet. This is likely a mindset that would work for the pitchers with dominant velocity and stuff, but might not work as well for players like Rhett Lowder and Brady Singer, who rely heavily on changing locations and changing speeds.

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