Reds’ Pitching Prospects Shine as a Dynamic Duo in the Fall League”
SURPRISE, Arizona – The atmosphere at Surprise Stadium on a sunny Saturday afternoon was described by a group of fans seated behind home plate as “so awesome.” Still, they could have easily been referring to the exceptional performance of Carson Spiers and Bryce Hubbart, two talented prospects for the Reds who dazzled the Scottsdale batters and secured a 4-2 victory.
Spiers and Hubbart have been working closely together as a pair throughout their time in the Fall League, and Saturday’s seven-inning contest marked their first time going the distance.
Hubbart explained, “There’s a lot that goes unspoken. You wouldn’t necessarily see it on the field, but a lot that goes into our throwing – he’s got better control, I can be kind of all over the place sometimes. It’s like having a reliable partner.”
Spiers started the game and displayed precision with his pitching, consistently getting ahead of batters and throwing 38 strikes out of his 46 pitches.
“It’s a staple of my game,” Spiers said. “I want to get ahead. I want to get to two strikes before I get to two balls. When you execute it, good things will probably happen more times than not.”
Spiers maintained a perfect record through the first three innings, going nine up, nine down against the Scorpions lineup. However, a trio of singles led to a run in the fourth, but Spiers finished with five strikeouts, three of which were thanks to his slider, bringing his total to 16 over 14 innings in the Fall League.
Spiers, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Clemson in June 2020, has made rapid progress through the Reds’ system. He started the 2023 season in the bullpen for Double-A Chattanooga and, within five months, was making starts in the midst of a big league pennant race for Cincinnati, ultimately appearing in four Major League games.
While the Fall League often serves as a platform for pitchers to increase their workload ahead of the upcoming season, Spiers is using this opportunity to demonstrate his potential as a member of the Reds’ big league rotation. He is one of the few players in Arizona with experience pitching in the Major Leagues, and he’s been applying the lessons learned in the big show to his performances in the Fall League.
“No matter what game you’re playing, you’re always trying to learn and grow in some aspect,” Spiers said. “Me and Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson have had many discussions since my time in Cincinnati, from tweaking pitch designs to other adjustments that I’m trying to implement here.”
Bryce Hubbart, a third-round pick in 2022 from Florida State, has excelled in adapting to the piggybacking approach in his second year of professional baseball. He’s accustomed to the rhythms of pitching in various roles, be it as a starter or reliever, thanks to his time with Single-A Daytona. The 22-year-old left-hander has now delivered three consecutive appearances, each lasting three innings, in which he allowed one run or fewer.
“It was definitely a change,” Hubbart acknowledged during Fall League Media Day last month. “But I think it’s good for me in terms of my career because it helps the Reds realize that I can do both – long relief, relieving, starting… you know, whatever they need me to do. I could eventually figure it out.”
Catcher Michael Trautwein has played a crucial role in supporting Spiers and Hubbart. He caught Spiers during their time in Chattanooga and has continued to catch both pitchers in every Fall League outing.
Hubbart shared his experience, saying, “I remember my first outing, I was shaking him off a few times, and then after that, you kind of realize, ‘OK, this guy knows what he’s doing back there.’ I’m really, really glad that he’s caught us every single time. He’s the man back there, he just keeps you under control the entire time. He commands the game and does what a catcher’s supposed to do.”
To add to the Reds’ excitement, third baseman Austin Callahan blasted a two-run homer, his first in the Fall League, in the fourth inning. His down-and-in heater ultimately made the difference in the score.
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