Reds Select Chase Burns With Their First Pick Of 2024 Draft Take Wake Forest Pitcher Second Overall

Cincinnati Reds Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Katuska tonight announced the selection of RHP Chase Burns (6-4, 215, R/R) out of Wake Forest University with the team's first pick (2nd overall) of the 2024 first-year player draft.

Katuska said, "Chase has the ability to be a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher at the Major League level, and do it quickly. It's a profile that we always start with in the draft, and Chase checks all the boxes. We love the quality and depth of his pitch mix, and his competitiveness. He's made great strides since we first saw him pitch 4 years ago, and see him continuing on that same trajectory."

Burns, 21, was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year, a Dick Howser Trophy Finalist, a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist, and a First Team All-American by Baseball America as a junior in 2024, his lone season with the Demon Deacons. He went 10-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 191 strikeouts (a single-season program record) over his 16 starts at Wake Forest.

Burns is rated the 4th-best player in the draft by Baseball America and the 6th-best player in the draft by MLB.com. Burns, who was born in Naples, Italy, transferred to Wake Forest after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at the University of Tennessee. In 2 seasons with the Volunteers, he went 13-5 with a 3.54 ERA and 217 strikeouts across 35 games (22 starts).

For the second consecutive year, the Reds have drafted a pitcher from Wake Forest with their first pick. In 2023, Cincinnati selected RHP Rhett Lowder with the 7th-overall pick.

The Reds will complete the first day of the draft by selecting 51st (second round) and 71st (Competitive Balance Round B).