Andrew Abbott is taking the next step

As a rookie in 2023, Andrew Abbott posted a 1.90 ERA through his first 10 big league starts. At this point in the 2024 season, Abbott was the Reds’ most consistent pitcher with a 3.39 ERA as well as a burgeoning case to be an All-Star.

But in each of his first two seasons with the Reds, Abbott’s production fell off a cliff during the second half of the season.

Now in 2025, Abbott has a 1.51 ERA and has a strikeout rate that has skyrocketed. This, he says, is the best he has ever pitched and the most confident he has ever been.

Abbott feels so strongly about that because unlike the last two seasons, he has the foundation that he needs to carry him through the finish line this year.

“I feel pretty strongly about it,” Abbott said. “I have the routine down. The training staff and strength staff, we’re in constant communication on what I’m trying to do and how I’m feeling. We have a really good base and a really good floor. It makes me very confident that when I get to those months that I can produce at a high level.”

Abbott is in his third year with the Reds, and he said that he has felt his experience translate into results.

He has done a better job of getting out of jams. He said that he has more knowledge under his belt about the league, which has helped him be more prepared from a game planning standpoint. He said the Reds’ strength and training staff have been “tremendous” in developing a plan for his pre-start and post-start routine.

“(This year) is him going about his work daily,” Hunter Greene said. “He has consistency. That’s No. 1.”

Abbott learned some lessons the hard way in the big leagues. In 2023, Abbott posted a 6.42 ERA over his final 11 starts and was absolutely gassed by the end of the year. In 2024, Abbott posted a 4.22 ERA from June 15 through the end of the season and then went on the IL with a season-ending shoulder injury.

He has a finer margin for error as a smaller pitcher who doesn’t light up the radar gun. At the end of last season, Derek Johnson spoke with Abbott about some changes that he wanted to see that could help Abbott pitch well into August, September and October.

“The focus was on preparing himself for a full year,” Johnson said. “He retrained himself with how he was throwing. A lot of his catch play stuff changed, even from spring training until now. All of the little details add up. He has made some good pitches and big pitches when he has had to. It’s turned out pretty well for him.”

Abbott said that his routine is much more regimented this year, and he has done a better job of keeping the routine the same from week-to-week. He said, “It’s more boring, but it’s the work that needs to be done.”

He’s doing more training to strengthen his shoulder and his forearms. He does grip strength tests regularly to monitor he’s feeling.

He has changed his throwing program between starts, mixing in more off days from throwing and making those days where he focuses on recovery.

He has worked closely with director of nutrition Ashley Meuser, and Abbott looks like he’s in the best shape of his life.

“My energy has been up,” Abbott said. “Recovery has been great. I wear a glucose monitor that she gives us to monitor energy levels. The diet has always been the worst part about the game for me. You deal with the cards your dealt. I like to eat. Unfortunately, it’s not the good stuff. We’re making changes. We’re fueling our body better. We’re feeling better. It’s all coming together with that.”

The most recent development for Abbott has been his cutter, which he worked on a lot during spring training and has been using more often over his last few starts.

“He’s more equipped to run through lineups,” Johnson said. “He used his cutter more against the Cubs. That helped. They couldn’t just focus away. They had to be aware of (pitches) in to the right-handers. That opened up the plate for him. He’s throwing more strikes. He’s throwing more quality strikes.”

Because Abbott has an old school approach on the mound and looks older than a guy who just turned 26 on June 1, he gets overlooked as a big part of the Reds’ young core. Abbott is the fifth-youngest player on the Reds’ active roster.

He had stretches in 2023 and 2024 where he showed his upside but couldn’t sustain them. For Abbott, this season is about being the same pitcher all season.

“I hope to just be Mr. Consistent,” Abbott said. “I don’t have anything to wow you. I’m not Hunter (Greene). I’m not anybody else. I don’t try to be, even though I’d love to be. Everyone would love to throw 100 (mph), but everyone has their own things that work for them. That’s what makes the game special. I’m not worried about trying to be someone else. I just try to do what I do. The more often I do that well, the more often I’ll have a job.”