Graham Ashcraft

Graham Ashcraft

27-Year-Old PitcherSP
Cincinnati Reds
2025 Fantasy Outlook
A 5.05 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in his first 12 starts to open the season earned Ashcraft a ticket back to Triple-A Louisville in early June. He was optioned again in July, although the Reds later voided that move and instead placed Ashcraft on the injured list with a right elbow strain. We didn't see him on a big-league mound after July 7, but the right-hander was said to be in line for a normal offseason. While the players speak highly of Ashcraft's stuff, it hasn't translated to strikeouts or results. The Reds could re-evaluate his spot on the 40-man roster or, more likely, stash him at Triple-A as depth if he doesn't earn a job in spring training. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#371
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Reds in March of 2024.
Could close games
PCincinnati Reds
March 23, 2025
Ashcraft could be used as the closer if Alexis Diaz does not win the role coming out of spring training, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "I think we still have some work to do," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "We want to make sure [Diaz's] got his legs under him, with his delivery and everything. We know what he can do. We just want to make sure he's ready to do it."
ANALYSIS
Diaz hasn't pitched a clean inning during Cactus League play, which included a disastrous outing March 15 that prompted him to work on delivery issues with pitching coach Derek Johnson. The pitcher then had a command-challenged outing against minor leaguers Friday, which set off speculation that Diaz may not be the closer and could open the regular season in the minors. Going back to 2024, there's been chatter about Ashcraft having the makeup of a high-leverage reliever. After he competed for the rotation during spring training, Ashcraft was shifted to the bullpen last week and pitched three scoreless relief innings Thursday. "We've all kind of teetered on that idea and what it would look like," Johnson, the pitching coach, said about Ashcraft as a reliever. "Obviously, we haven't seen it so we don't know. But he could be kind of that really nice piece in the bullpen that we didn't have to go out and acquire." Diaz is expected to throw an inning in the Reds' Cactus League finale Sunday, which could provide an indication about who will work as the team's closer when the season kicks off Thursday against the Giants.
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Pitching Stats
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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-7%
BAA vs LHP
2025
No Stats
2024
 
 
-7%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-15%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2023vs Left .260 459 84 35 109 15 2 18
Since 2023vs Right .281 514 84 44 128 23 2 16
2025vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024vs Left .293 162 24 14 43 4 0 7
2024vs Right .272 188 33 13 46 11 0 4
2023vs Left .243 297 60 21 66 11 2 11
2023vs Right .287 326 51 31 82 12 2 12
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Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-38%
ERA on Road
2025
No Stats
2024
 
 
-47%
ERA on Road
2023
 
 
-34%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2023Home 6.05 1.48 113.0 6 11 0 6.2 3.3 1.6
Since 2023Away 3.76 1.35 110.0 6 3 0 7.4 3.1 1.1
2025Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024Home 7.26 1.77 31.0 3 3 0 5.8 3.5 1.5
2024Away 3.88 1.32 46.1 2 2 0 7.2 2.9 1.2
2023Home 5.60 1.37 82.0 3 8 0 6.4 3.2 1.6
2023Away 3.68 1.38 63.2 4 1 0 7.5 3.3 1.1
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Defensive Stats
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
Ashcraft showed up to last spring training with a new slider and proceeded to post a 25:2 K:BB over 17.1 Cactus League innings. However, while he held a 2.00 ERA over his first six starts of the regular season, a 27:16 K:BB in 36 frames pointed to looming trouble and, sure enough, the wheels came off to the tune of a 12.82 ERA in his next eight outings. Ashcraft was better the rest of the way before needing toe surgery in September, but he never upped the strikeouts to an acceptable level. At this point, we probably can't count on that ever being part of his skill set, although it can't be totally ruled out for a guy who is one of the hardest-throwing starters in baseball. Ashcraft is expected to be physically ready for Opening Day and should remain a great source for groundballs and weak contact, but unless he can start missing more bats he'll always be walking a tightrope at Great American Ball Park.
Ashcraft's name sounds like it belongs more to a financial advisor than it does a major league pitcher, but financial advisors don't throw upper 90's fastballs like he does. Ashcraft has a reliever-like repertoire of sinker/slider/cutter that is far from a finished product. The slider was his primary putaway pitch generating swings and misses one-third of the time, but the league had little trouble with the cutters and sinkers as the two pitches had identical velocity and not much difference in their shape toward home. Ashcraft has a changeup, in theory, as he threw it 12 times in total last season, and yet did better against lefties (.232 average) than righties (.323 average.) It really is unusual to see a righty with his type of repertoire struggle so badly against righties as they also hit 10 of the 11 homers he allowed. It is tough to recommend such an incomplete product like Ashcraft no matter how hard he throws as he could quickly find himself out of the rotation if 2023 picks up where 2022 left off.
More Fantasy News
Sharp in relief outing
PCincinnati Reds
March 21, 2025
Ashcraft walked one and struck out two over three scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's spring game against Kansas City.
ANALYSIS
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Shifted to bullpen
PCincinnati Reds
March 20, 2025
Ashcraft will open the season in the Reds' bullpen, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Struggles Friday
PCincinnati Reds
March 15, 2025
Ashcraft allowed three runs on three hits and four walks while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Friday's spring start against the White Sox.
ANALYSIS
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Overcomes early stumble
PCincinnati Reds
March 10, 2025
Ashcraft allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five over four innings in Sunday's spring start against the Angels.
ANALYSIS
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Mixed results third time out
PCincinnati Reds
March 5, 2025
Ashcraft allowed five runs on eight hits and one walk with two strikeouts over 2.2 innings in Tuesday's split-squad start against the Rockies.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Abandons new pitches
PCincinnati Reds
February 14, 2023
Ashcraft scrapped the idea of incorporating a new changeup and splitter, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
ANALYSIS
Ashcraft abandoned that pursuit on the advice of Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson, who suggested that the 25-year-old right-hander should focus more on refining his slider. Largely relying on a three-pitch mix, Ashcraft registered a 4.89 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 71:30 K:BB over his first 105 major-league innings -- 19 starts -- last season. He currently projects to open the 2023 campaign as the Reds' third starter.
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