Cincinnati Reds‘ young pitcher Chase Burns is someone the team has been excited about for some time now. The hard-throwing righty was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 2021 MLB Draft, but decided to forgo that offer and play at the University of Tennessee.

There, he would go on to make a bigger name for himself,  becoming the Freshman Pitcher of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. 

After moving to the bullpen during his sophomore season, Burns transferred to Wake Forest, where he would set a school record with 191 strikeouts in a single season. Shortly after, he would be selected by the Reds in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft. 

MORE: Sal Stewart poised to transform the Reds’ offense

MLB analyst spotlights Reds’ Chase Burns as one to watch in Spring Training

Cincinnati decided it was time for Burns to make his debut in late June last season. And while he struggled a bit, he was able to show flashes of his potential. 

MLB.com’s David Adler spotlights him in his list of ‘must-watch’ pitchers this spring. 

“Burns is a big 2026 breakout candidate in Cincinnati. He’s just electric. The right-hander might’ve had a rocky rookie season, but he’s already striking out the work. The 23-year-old has a lethal fastball-slider combo, with his heater often reaching triple digits and his slider sitting in the low 90s and getting whiffs on nearly half the swings against it. Between him and Hunter Greene, the Reds could have one of the most overpowering duos in the Majors.”

Adler tags Burns as one who could have a huge breakout season in 2026 if he can put everything together. 

He and Hunter Greene could be quite the one-two punch to worry about. The Reds will need them to be at their best all season long if they want a chance to fight for a division title later this year.

More MLB news: