140 pitchers threw at least 100 innings at the Major League level during the 2022 season. Only 8 of them eclipsed the 54.5% groundball rate of Cincinnati Reds righty Graham Ashcraft, who’ll get the start today against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It’s that ability to keep the ball on the ground and within the tiny confines of Great American Ball Park that makes him such an intriguing option for the Reds, in particular. That he chucks a 100 mph cutter and has added a hard slider that’s been the talk of the dugout only adds to his mystique as he begins his first full season as a member of the Reds.