On another level: Abbott keeps striking 'em out

It doesn't matter where Andrew Abbott is pitching. He just keeps striking batters out.

The 23-year-old whiffed seven across five frames in his debut for Triple-A Louisville, bringing his MiLB-leading punchout total to 43 in 20 2/3 innings in the Bats' 9-5 loss to Iowa. The southpaw may only be the Reds’ 10th-ranked prospect, but he has arguably been the most impressive force on the mound across the Minors so far this season.

Abbott had it working from the very start, fanning his very first Triple-A opponent Christopher Morel on three pitches before getting Miles Mastrobuoni swinging after four offerings. Working around a couple of walks, Abbott whiffed four of the first six batters he faced through the first two frames.

The 2021 second-round pick continued to cruise through the third and fourth, setting down six batters in a row, three via the strikeout. He ran into trouble in the fifth, surrendering his first home run of the season to Morel, but finished the inning with only two runs allowed.

Abbott isn’t a flamethrower -- his fastest pitch of the day clocked in at 93.8 mph -- but that’s not where his biggest weapon lies. The Virginia product struck out the first two batters of the game on curveballs, and four of his seven whiffs came from the bender (the other three were fastballs).

Abbott fared decently in his first full season last year, amassing a 3.81 ERA across two levels, but while his numbers didn’t exactly jump off the page, the strikeouts were there. He tied with Athletics’ lefty Kyle Muller (then pitching for Triple-A Gwinnett) for third in the Minors with 159 strikeouts among qualified players in 2022.

Aside from the whiffs, Abbott has been dominant in other facets of the game. He’s only walked six batters -- three of those came in Wednesday’s contest -- while allowing just nine hits across his first four starts. He’s held opposing batters to a .172 average, and his ERA sits ever-so-slightly higher at 1.74.

With Abbott joining fellow Top 10 prospects Elly De La Cruz (No. 1), Matt McLain (No. 5), Christian Encarnacion-Strand (No. 6) and Brandon Williamson (No. 9) at the Triple-A level, Louisville has become even more of a team to keep an eye on.