MLB Pipeline tabs Chase Burns as the top prospect on the Cincinnati Reds farm

And the fireballin’ right-hander will make his Cactus League debut tomorrow!

The Cincinnati Reds made Chase Burns the #2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and the top pitcher selected. Burns, via the Wake Forest University (via the University of Tennessee), features a triple-digit heater that’s somehow almost a setup pitch for perhaps the single best slider of any prospect right now, an arsenal that has seen him rocket up Top 100 overall prospect lists since he became a pro.

MLB Pipeline is no different, as they recently ranked Burns the #26 overall prospect in their respective Top 100. Today, they revealed the Top 30 Reds prospects, and Burns unsurprisingly tops that list as well.

There aren’t a ton of surprises on this particular ordering, though it’s certainly worth a hat-tip to outfielder Ethan O’Donnell as he jumped from #30 on the final 2024 list all the way up to #18 on this first 2025 edition. That’s one spot ahead of newly acquired outfielder Arnaldo Lantigua, who came to the Reds in the trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers that sent roughly $1.5 million of international bonus pool the other way (which was ultimately used to sign superstar Roki Sasaki).

As for Burns, he’s set to make his Cactus League debut on Wednesday, as Doug Gray of Reds Minor Leagues relayed. The Reds have a split-squad doubleheader on Tuesday (an afternoon game on the road against the Colorado Rockies followed by a night game on the road against the Dodgers), so there should be plenty of innings needing filled come Wednesday. While we don’t yet know how advanced the Opening Day assignment will be for Burns, it’s clear that getting Cactus League IP before ever throwing a minor league pitch means they’ve got pretty quick expectations for him moving his way up, however.