With the 2026 MLB regular season in the books, we are taking a look at some of the best breakout stories from this past season. This one takes a look at what went right for Reds pitcher Chase Burns.
Two years ago, Chase Burns was a high-upside prospect who was just drafted by the Reds. Now, he’s a well-paid ace. For those who saw Burns pitch in Wake Forest, perhaps this wasn’t a shock. The stuff that earned him the second-overall selection in 2026 wound up helping him in spades with Cincinnati.
The opportunity
Last year, Chase Burns worked as both a starter and reliever after being promoted from the Minors, and found a groove down the stretch with the Reds out of the bullpen. However, that was a very different situation.
The Reds were in the midst of a playoff push, and moving Burns to the bullpen checked multiple boxes. It helped keep the innings down after a mammoth, yet short campaign in the Minors. Plus, it allowed Cincinnati to take full advantage of the plus stuff that earned him a first-round selection back in 2024.
But when 2026 arrived, Burns had the opportunity to earn a spot in the Reds’ rotation. Injuries to key arms, including Brandon Williamson, Nick Lodolo, and Hunter Greene, opened up a lane for the right-hander. And Burns took it.
The execution
The numbers spoke for themselves. Just in the first half, Burns’ 10.3 K/9 was good for top 15 in the Majors among starting pitchers with 75+ IP. And the combination was remarkably simple.
In this day and age, we’re seeing fewer & fewer elite pitchers work a power 1-2 pitch combo, and then relying on tertiary stuff to change pace on hitters. There were several high-profile pitchers (Greene, Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodon, Spencer Strider) who did that in the early 2020s. But Burns was a little different.
For much of the 2026 campaign, Burns relied on his four-seam fastball anywhere from the low-50s to almost 60% of the time. He juxtaposed that with a vicious, hard slider that broke down fast and made life very difficult for hitters. And it was an elite pitch in terms of swing-and-miss.
It’s a combination that worked for him in college & the Minors. So far, it did at the MLB level. Why? The hard fastball up was a pitch that was able to beat hitters on its own. That pitch needs to be respected, which makes the slider all the more powerful.
Setup also helped to a certain extent. There were instances this past year when Burns was able to reel off two or three consecutive whiffs off that slider alone. However, nearly half of his whiffs off the slider were directly set up with the fastball.
Now, it is important to note that Burns wasn’t a true two-pitch pitcher. There was the changeup that saw varying usage throughout the year. Not to mention, a two-seam fastball that popped up late in the year. Statcast recorded 12 total thrown sinkers this season, nine of which came in August.
If hitters make the adjustment (and perhaps, that’s inevitable), the incorporation could help considerably. There are several reasons why. One, it should help set up the changeup better. And two, it’s a pitch that just adds another layer of deception against right-handed hitters.
Every sinker thrown last year was to a right-handed batter.
A budding ace
Unlike in 2026, Chase Burns won’t have to fight for a rotation spot. Instead, he’ll enter the 2027 campaign as the de facto ace of the Reds.
Greene, who only spent a month of the 2026 MLB regular season on the active roster, underwent UCL reconstruction surgery late in the summer. That will likely keep Greene out for all of 2027, meaning that a repeat performance will be needed, not hoped for.
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