Cincinnati Reds Top Prospect Struggles in Debut, But Still Makes Team History of Last 18 Years

It wasn't a great day overall for Chase Petty, but he did record three strikeouts, which helped him accomplish something not seen since Homer Bailey.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Petty delivers a pitch in the first inning of the MLB game between Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds were swept by the St. Louis Cardinals in a doubleheader on Wednesday at Great American Ball Park. The 6-0 loss in Game 1 dropped the Reds to 16-14 while the 9-1 loss in Game 2 dropped them to 16-15 on the season.

St. Louis is now 14-17.

The Reds called up top pitching prospect Chase Petty for his major league debut in the nightcap, and it certainly didn't go as he would have hoped. He surrendered nine earned runs on seven hits and two walks over just 2.1 innings.

However, he did make some positive history, doing something not seen since 2007 for the organization.

Per MLB Pipeline:

Chase Petty records his first strikeout in The Show!

The Top 100 prospect is the youngest @Reds starter (22 years, 26 days) to make his big league debut since Homer Bailey (2007).

Chase Petty records his first strikeout in The Show!

The Top 100 prospect is the youngest @Reds starter (22 years, 26 days) to make his big league debut since Homer Bailey (2007). pic.twitter.com/Q4JvG2vDCo

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 30, 2025

Ranked as the No. 99 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, Petty was a first-round pick in the 2021 draft out of the New Jersey high school ranks. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins and traded to the Reds in the deal for Sonny Gray.

He's gone 0-2 at Triple-A Louisville this season (five starts), pitching to a 3.52 ERA in 23.0 innings.

Lifetime, he's 12-15 in the minors with a 3.45 ERA.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

With an athletic delivery, Petty has a strong track record of filling up the strike zone, though his walk rate did balloon in Double-A in 2024. He’s still very young for his stage of development, pitching all of 2025 at age 22, and he came to Spring Training even more physical. He’s officially in knocking on the door territory with a mid-rotation ceiling.

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