Hubbart excited to represent Reds in Fall League

Look no further than the Reds contingent on hand at the Arizona Fall League in 2022 to get an idea of how vital the development that takes place over six weeks in the desert can be to players eyeing that next step.

Matt McLain and Noelvi Marte headlined the group last season, then made their Major League debuts in May and August respectively. The organization didn’t send a similarly “can’t miss” name this go-round, but Bryce Hubbart – the club’s third round pick in the 2022 Draft out of Florida State – is one of the most captivating arms pitching in the traditionally hitter-friendly league.

• AFL stats| Surprise roster | Scoreboard | Complete AFL coverage

Just weeks after Cincinnati came agonizingly close to returning to the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2013, the mood was ebullient around the assembled group of youngsters donning the club’s logo in Arizona.

“The Reds are a huge fan of homegrown guys for the most part, and I think it's cool that they're giving all these guys opportunities,” Hubbart said. “The guys [they called up this year] are legit … and they're incredible ballplayers.

“Love the people. And I'm so excited.”

All that talent has led to teams getting creative at the lower levels. What emerged was the trend toward “piggybacking,” or more simply, teaming two pitchers together and allowing them to cover the vast majority – if not all – of a given contest. The process has grown in popularity around some organizations as a way to not only manage innings or pitch-count limits for young hurlers, but as a means of introduction to see whether the given hurler can find success with his stuff in shorter stints.

“I mean, it was definitely a change,” Hubbart said. “But I think I think it's good for me in terms of my career, because then it helps [the Reds] realize that I can do both.

“I could long relieve, I could relieve, I could start ... you know, whatever you needed me to do. I could eventually figure out how to do it.”

Hubbart hung back at the club’s facility in Goodyear after camp broke for extended spring training, not making his season debut for Single-A Daytona until May 4. As the left-hander ping-ponged between starting and finishing games (working at least three frames in eight of his first nine appearances), his stuff flummoxed the opposition: Hubbart held batters to a .186 average against and compiled 39 strikeouts in 32 innings.

But a left arm injury torpedoed his summer. He returned for five outings from mid-August to early September, but walk concerns that had already creeped up earlier in the year became more prevalent. By the end of the season, Hubbart, who was something of an extreme strike-thrower in college, issued 49 bases on balls across 45 2/3 frames.

“I think it … was all kind of interconnected,” he said. “I think the injury happened because of a way that I was throwing that I was not used to or I wasn't using my legs as much as I should – probably some mechanical deficiency that I wasn't doing. And then that resulted in probably my loss of being able to throw strikes, and then, you know, it all kind of snowballed together, and then the injury hit. At the end of the year, there wasn't much time to make any changes.”

Armed with a four-pitch mix, Hubbart’s stuff has varied since he entered pro ball. Clocked as high as 97 mph prior to signing, he largely averaged 91 with his heater at Daytona. But the offering sported solid spin rates, enabling it to carry up in the zone. Utilizing both a curveball and a slider, the 22-year-old also has a high-70s changeup in his arsenal.

Hubbart is pitching for Surprise as the prototypical candidate looking to further expand his workload heading into 2024. Having arrived in the organization with sizable aplomb (he was ranked MLB Pipeline’s No. 72 overall Draft prospect), the southpaw has adopted a forward-looking approach while pulling from past experiences.

“A lot of that stuff is out of my control,” he said. “But there was more under my control than I expected. And it was about being more disciplined, because you're on your own vs. college.

“And I think I did a really, really good job of doing that once the injury happened. So I'm kind of grateful that it happened, just because I learned a little bit that I needed to.”

His next lesson comes in the form of facing advanced hitters on the fall’s premier prospect circuit.

Reds hitters in the Fall League

Michael Trautwein, C: After not making much of an impact offensively during abbreviated pockets of action in his first two pro seasons, the 24-year-old compiled 21 extra-base hits and a .360 on-base percentage between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga this year. Trautwein cut down 29.8 percent of attempted basestealers, while also moonlighting as a corner outfielder, further displaying his positional flexibility as he advances through the system.

The former Northwestern backstop has opened Fall League action at a torrid pace, homering three times in his first four games.

Austin Callahan, 3B: While his 37 doubles this past season ranked second among all Reds Minor Leaguers, so did his 154 strikeouts. Still, Callahan earned a taste of Double-A over the season’s final six weeks after posting a .749 OPS over 97 games with Dayton. Having faced older hurlers in 89 percent of his plate appearances this season, the 18th-rounder from the 2021 Draft will be further challenged against experienced arms with Surprise.

Jacob Hurtubise, OF: Reaping the on-the-field benefits of a new policy that allows American service members to delay their military service time in order to pursue professional sports careers, Hurtubise was a hitting machine during his first full season in the Reds system. After notching a .453 on-base percentage and 33 steals in 83 games with Chattanooga, the West Point graduate hit .390 over 36 games – adding 12 stolen bases for good measure – with Triple-A Louisville. His .479 OBP led all Minors batters with at least 300 plate appearances this season.

Reds pitchers in the Fall League

Zach Maxwell, RHP (No. 30): Anytime the radar gun flashes triple digits, people are going to take notice. Maxwell’s 6-foot-6, 275-pound frame boasts ample power, enabling him to utilize his high-90s mph sinker and high-80s cutter to their maximum capabilities in short stints. Taken in the sixth round of the 2022 Draft, the former Georgia Tech hurler combined for 96 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings between Daytona and Dayton this year. He gave up just one home run over his first 33 appearances and recorded more than three outs in 82.3 percent of his outings.

Jayvien Sandridge, LHP: From a 32nd-round Draft selection to Rookie-level ball to … back to college? Sandridge took one of the most unique paths to the Fall League of any 2023 participant, enrolling at Division II Lynn University in ‘21 after being released by the Orioles the previous year. The Reds took a flier on the 6-foot-5 hurler and appear to have uncovered a blossoming gem, one who struck out batters at a 14.6 and 13 K/9 clip over the past two seasons respectively. Equipped with a mid-90s mph heater and a low-80s slider, the reliever held opposing batters to a .201 average across 63 innings between Dayton and Chattanooga.

Andrew Moore, RHP: The start of Moore’s first full season in the organization was delayed until early July due to injury, and his stint with Surprise will allot him valuable added in-game reps. Following the theme of sending hard-throwing hurlers to the desert, Moore also fits the bill with a mid-90s heater and 86-89 mph slider in his arsenal. Selected in the 14th round of the 2021 Draft out of Chipola JC (a recent hot spot for the Reds), he struck out 20 batters over 14 1/3 frames with Dayton and boasts a 13.3 K/9 mark over parts of his first three seasons in the Minors.

Carson Spiers, RHP: The 25-year-old made the leap straight from Double-A to the Reds in September, enjoying a four-outing stint in which he showcased a solid five-pitch mix. Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson in 2020, Spiers began the year as a multi-inning reliever but is expected to still exceed the century mark in innings for the third straight year following his fall campaign.