'He's come a long way': Aguiar shows promise in 1st MLB win

PITTSBURGH -- Reds manager David Bell had a simple answer when asked what he was looking for out of Julian Aguiar, the organization’s No. 11 prospect, prior to his second Major League start on Saturday.

Bell wished for Aguiar to just go out and compete. It could be because the 25-year-old right-hander’s opportunity to pitch at the big league level this season was never a guarantee. It only came due to a recent spree of injuries to three of Cincinnati’s starting pitchers. Aguiar has certainly earned his opportunity, but it may have come a bit earlier than some in the organization would have expected.

Five days after making his Major League debut, Aguiar was given another shot in the rotation. This time, he was able to work much deeper into the game and earn his first big league victory in a 10-2 win over Pittsburgh at PNC Park. Aguiar fired six innings of two-run ball on just three hits while striking out four and walking a pair on an efficient 91 pitches.

“Pretty good feeling. [It’s] a blessing,” Aguiar said. “Happy to do it with this group of guys. Won a ballgame, that was the best part about it.”

“I improved as a whole pitcher,” he added about his second start. “Just went out there and threw my best stuff to these hitters and trusted my stuff. I just went out there and had fun.”

The Reds gave Aguiar four runs of support in the opening frame after a pair of walks, a single by TJ Friedl, a double by Spencer Steer and a sacrifice fly by Ty France. Playing with a comfortable cushion before he even delivered a pitch allowed Aguiar to go right after the Pirates’ lineup.

The Reds then struck for four more runs in the fourth inning and two in the seventh to put the game away as Aguiar put a stamp on his outing. Elly De La Cruz drove in a pair in a 3-for-4 game, while Steer, Aguiar’s high school teammate, drove in a pair of runs of his own.

The righty was just as effective as Steer remembers from competing alongside him in the prep circuit.

“I thought he threw the ball really well tonight,” Steer said. “Always exciting to see someone get a first win, first hit, whatever it is. … I remember meeting him when he was a freshman and I was a senior. He’s come a long way. He’s a really good pitcher, and yeah, definitely feel some extra pride, for sure.”

Aguiar’s only blemish came in the second inning, when he allowed a two-run home run to Rowdy Tellez. After falling behind hitters early on, Aguiar found his stride in the second half of his outing, mixing his sinker, slider and changeup well, and he finished with some of his best pitches of the night.

“He definitely did his part,” Bell said. “I thought as the game went on he kind of got in the flow, found a groove, started seeing how he could change speeds and locate his off-speed and use his fastball effectively. It was a good experience for Aguiar, too. In only his second start, he really stepped up, and he can for sure build on this one.”

With untimely injuries to Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft and Andrew Abbott of late, Aguiar has gotten an opportunity to show the organization that he fits into the future of its rotation. Taken as a flier in the 12th-round of the Draft back in 2021, Aguiar put his name on the map last season at the High-A and Double-A levels, compiling an 8-5 record and a 2.95 ERA in 25 starts on his way to being named the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Aguiar said he saw this stretch as an opportunity to not only make a name for himself, but as a chance to make a case to be a part of next season’s starting rotation.

Between stops at multiple junior colleges, a late-round selection and three years of Minor League baseball, Aguiar reflected on his journey up to this point and the whirlwind that has been his last week. He said that he kept the mentality throughout his career to just enjoy the process, knowing that his time would come.

“The whole journey in the Minor Leagues, I’ve been just fantasizing where I’ve come from,” Aguiar said.