At this time last season, Carlson Reed was in Morgantown, working to continue being a strong bullpen option for his college ball club. But after being drafted last year in the fourth round out of West Virginia, Reed has since switched back to a starter role, an opportunity that heโs made the most of.
A 21-year-old righty, Reed has made eight starts for the Low-A Bradenton Marauders, going 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA. He has struck out 42 batters in 35 โ innings and has yet to allow more than a pair of earned runs in an outing.
Standing at 6-foot-4 and possessing a fastball that sits mid-90s, Reed has the physical tools one typically sees at the gameโs highest level. However, he insists his success is more a product of intellect, rather than pure athleticism. A former finance major at WVU, Reed uses his love for numbers on the mound.
โI look at being a starting pitcher like itโs a math equation,โ Reed told the Post-Gazette. โJust like there are different ways to get the answer to an equation, there are different ways to get a hitter out. Math was my favorite subject in school, so I just kinda relate those two things.
The Post-Gazette caught up with Reed to discuss his strong start to the 2024 season. Below is a layout of the conversation.
PG: This is really your first year of professional baseball. How has this adjustment been for you, especially having moved from the bullpen to the rotation?
Reed: Itโs definitely different, especially with this new role. You have to learn your own body, your own routine and what works for you. Thatโs a big part of the game. Itโs just a big learning curve that Iโm smack dab in the middle of right now. Itโs nice though.
PG: So whatโs the focus for you right now? Is it just as simple as getting your body prepared to pitch deep into games?
Reed: Most of it is just kinda staying within myself and knowing that because Iโm adding innings, there are different aspects to the game that I havenโt really encountered before. The longest outing I had last year was three innings. I've thrown up to six innings this year and went five multiple times. Knowing that Iโm throwing more innings, I have to focus batter to batter a little more than I did when I was a closer.
PG: So with you looking at pitching like a math equation, does that mean youโre a big data guy? Are you someone who combs over a lot of numbers and advanced metrics?
Reed: Yeah. I think the analytics we have now are the next level of the game. As we start to understand it more, those things will help us. However, at the same time, I feel like the game shouldnโt be centered around it. I feel like you should just pick whatever works for you.
PG: Break down your pitch arsenal for me. It seems like you have a few things you can consistently rely on to get outs.
Reed: I think of myself as someone who can do a little bit of everything. I try not to limit myself to just one strikeout pitch. I throw a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a slider and a changeup. This year, my velocity has reached up to 96 mph with both the fastball and sinker, but Iโve always loved my off-speed pitches more than my fastballs. With the math, I keep things unpredictable.
PG: Did you ever get a chance to pitch at PNC Park when you were playing for WVU?
Reed: We played there against Pitt twice. I was in the bullpen for both games, but never got called upon to pitch. So, Iโm still waiting on that.
PG: I asked this to your teammate, so I guess I will ask it to you as well before we wrap things up: You look around the organization and see a lot of promising pitching prospects. It seems like there is both natural talent and solid development. How much extra confidence does that give you as youโre in the infancy of your professional career?
Reed: Of course. Not only with the guys that are already in the big leagues, like Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, or even the highly ranked minor league guys like Bubba Chandler and Anthony Solometo, but there are so many other guys as well. Just being in this system is really encouraging, as a starter and just a pitcher in general.
Noah Hiles: nhiles@post-gazette.com and @_NoahHiles on X
First Published: May 26, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
