2020 Draft Preview: Reid Detmers (LHP)

NAME: Reid Detmers
SCHOOL: Louisville
POSITION: LHP
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’2″ 210
B/T: L/L
D.O.B.: July 8, 1999
PREVIOUSLY DRAFTED: 2017, 32nd round (Atlanta)

Scouting Report

Reid Kristien Detmers played three seasons for Nokomis High School after being born in nearby Springfield, Il. He was named to the All Prairie State Conference team all three years with the Redskins. Detmers was also named First Team All-State as a junior after posting a 1.16 ERA and striking out 117 hitters on the season.

Detmers transferred to Glenwood High School in Chatham, Il as a senior after his family moved. Glenwood is much different than Nokomis and has an enrollment of 1,300 students as opposed to the 300 in Nokomis. Despite the change in location, Detmers still thrived with the Titans. He posted an 0.84 ERA while striking out 153 batters on his way to another All-State campaign as a senior. The lefty was also named as an All American according to MaxPreps.

Former major league outfielder Jayson Werth was selected in the first round of the 1997 draft out of Glenwood High School and Detmers was looking to follow in his footsteps while having a commitment to Louisville in his back pocket. Detmers was listed as the #422 prospect in the 2017 class according to Baseball America.

Coming out of high school, Detmers didn’t receive the bonus offer he was seeking to begin a professional career and decided to attend Louisville after being drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 32nd round of the 2017 draft. He was ranked #190 in the nation by Perfect Game USA.

As a freshman in 2018, Detmers pitched in 18 games for the Cardinals and posted a 4.85 ERA. The southpaw compiled 69 (nice) strikeouts and walked 34 over 55.2 innings as an 18-year-old on campus. Detmers really made a name for himself as a sophomore, however.

He led Louisville to the College World Series while being named as the ACC Pitcher of the Year in addition to being a member of the All ACC First-Team. The 6’2″ hurler went 13-4 with a 2.78 ERA over 113.1 innings pitched last year and his 167 strikeouts is the Louisville record. He also only walked 27 batters on the year and posted a WHIP of 0.89. Detmers was the best pitcher on the U.S. Collegiate National Team last summer and was 2nd in the country in strikeouts (48) and strikeout rate (19.6 K/9) during the abbreviated 2020 campaign.

Area Code Games footage from Detmers in high school courtesy of Prospects Live.

More from Prospects Live on Detmers in 2019 at Louisville

And some of Reid Detmers from 2020 as well

Scouting Grades

*Scouting grades are according to MLB Pipeline’s rankings, grades may vary between different publications*

Fastball: 55
Curveball: 55
Changeup: 50
Control: 55
Overall: 55

Prospect Overview and Future Outlook

Reid Detmers is the No. 8 overall prospect in the 2020 draft class according to MLB Pipeline. The publication calls him the “most polished left-hander available” in the draft. Pipeline projects the southpaw as a top-10 pick and compares him similarly to former Louisville and current Tampa Bay Rays’ starter Brendan McKay.

Detmers’ fastball usually sits in the 90-94 mph range, but he commands it well and opposing hitters don’t often pick it up. He also displays a 72-76 mph curveball that has good shape and is plus at its peak. The third pitch in his arsenal is a sinking changeup that he’ll need to use more as a professional.

The lefty has a strong frame and he’s been very durable. He frequently peppers the strike zone and shows an easy, very repeatable delivery. The southpaw shows “pitchability” but he has more stuff than what generally fits that description. MLB Pipeline projects him as a future mid-rotation starter.

Baseball America also lists Detmers as the No. 8 overall prospect in the 2020 class. The publication states that the southpaw has a “workhorse frame” and they note that he doesn’t have the “biggest pure stuff, but is one of the more high-likelihood major leaguers” in a deep pitching class.

Baseball America also noted his ability to “hide the ball well” while pitching. The publication touts his outstanding control and command and they call his curveball “a hammer with massive depth and shape” that profiles as a plus offering and one of the best breaking balls in the entire class.

BA mentions that Detmers also rarely uses a slider that grades out as fringe-average as well. In the write-up, it’s mentioned that scouts and evaluators love Reid’s “competitive nature on the mound” and “believe he has the makeup to perform in any situation any any level.” They peg Detmers as a future number three starter and project him to go in the first 10 picks on June 10th.

Veteran prospect writer Keith Law of The Athletic agrees with the rankings above and lists as Detmers as the 8th overall prospect available on his board as well. Law calls the lefty from Louisville the “most polished of the first round college arms.” Kiley McDaniel of ESPN stated that Detmers is a “pitchability lefty who has above-average stuff and feel.” McDaniel lists the southpaw as the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2020 class.

Mock Draft Outcomes

Recent mock drafts place Louisville left-hander Reid Detmers all over the board, but if the projections are any indication, he won’t have to wait very long to hear his name called on Wednesday, June 10th. In Law’s first mock draft for The Athletic, he sent Detmers to the Seattle Mariners at No. 6 overall. Over at MLB Pipeline, Jim Callis sent Detmers to the Colorado Rockies at No. 9 overall and Jonathan Mayo has the southpaw getting scooped up by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 7th overall pick.

Here at FutureSox, my mock draft version 2.0 sent the Louisville southpaw to the Los Angeles Angels with the 10th overall pick. Carlos Collazo of Baseball America updated his first round projection recently as well and also predicted Reid Detmers to the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 7th overall pick.

At ESPN, Kiley McDaniel mocked Detmers to the Chicago White Sox at No. 11. McDaniel notes that the “White Sox are leaning heavily toward college options” and he specifies that “it makes sense for the White Sox to add the Illinois prep product who could be big league ready right as the team gets to playoff contention.”

Potential Fit with the White Sox

Reid Detmers would be an obvious fit for the Chicago White Sox. The organization lacks left-handed starting pitching overall and Detmers would immediately become the best southpaw in the system. The White Sox know the Louisville program very well and have taken multiple players from Dan McDonnell’s system lately including pitchers Zack Burdi, Lincoln Henzman and Kade McClure in addition to outfielder Adam Engel.

Theoretically, Detmers could pitch more than a college pitcher would traditionally in their draft year upon joining an organization as well. There should be an opportunity for drafted players to see some time in complex ball or extended fall league play of some sort on the horizon in 2020.

Detmers would also immediately slot into the top ten of every publication’s organizational prospect list for the White Sox. He could begin the 2021 season in Low-A with Kannapolis and could move through the minors at a fairly quick pace with the organization looking to accelerate matters in the American League Central.

Photo credit: Jeff Reinking/Louisville Athletics

Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom, if on a mobile device) and click the SUBSCRIBE button. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You will get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits. Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with the latest FutureSox apparel.