DENVER – UCLA right-hander Logan Reddemann laughed, realizing that his high school games a few years back were not the same as pitching a mile high at Coors Field – where he plans on making his future after the Rockies selected him in the second round (38th overall) in the 2026 MLB Draft.
But things could get funky in the 2,500- to 2,650-foot elevations of California’s Antelope Valley, where he pitched at Quartz Hill High School before rising to stardom at both the University of San Diego and UCLA. He grew into MLB Pipeline’s No. 31 prospect in this year’s Draft.
“I know it’s almost double that in Denver, but still, learning how to pitch with a little altitude growing up, that’ll help,” Reddemann said. “Oh, it was super windy, and it actually always blew out to center field – definitely favorable for hitting. Even at a young age, I took the mentality that this is a challenge to be more perfect and precise.
“I’ve always been someone who’s fond of a challenge.”
More importantly, Reddemann has the diverse pitch mix that the Rockies believe will lead to success in an atmosphere that has proven hard on pitchers throughout the club’s history.
In 10 starts with UCLA this season, Reddemann posted a 2.87 ERA across 59 2/3 innings and struck out 84 batters. In his most memorable start at Rutgers on April 10, Reddemann struck out 18 batters, tying Rob Henkel (2000) for the school record for the most strikeouts in a game. Known more for his strike-throwing abilities while at the University of San Diego, Reddemann maintained that ability with UCLA, while also improving his stuff in a big way.
With UCLA, Reddemann added velocity across the board, which was most obvious with a fastball that now sits 95-96 mph and touches 99. The righty throws four secondary pitches, headlined by an excellent 87-91 mph cutter that he throws to both lefties and righties, and a mid-80s changeup. Add in a solid low-80s slider and curveball, along with his solid control (60 on the 20-80 scouting scale) and it’s a strong all-around profile.
“He will throw you a cutter, a sweeper, a more traditional curveball and a changeup,” Rockies assistant general manager Tommy Tanous said. “What really stands out is the ability to throw that arsenal and throw it for a strike. So he’s kind of a unique guy – especially in today’s college game, where a lot of pitchers are two-pitch guys throwing very hard but maybe a limited arsenal.”
At San Diego, Reddemann attacked with a fastball and a changeup and found success. He reached the next level at UCLA as the Friday night starter under coach John Savage.
“Starting in the weight room, I put on 20 pounds, and that translated – the strength I gained was the reason for the velocity bump,” he said. “The strength helped me clean up mechanically.
“One of the things I worked on with Savage was improving my extension. That came with getting the lower half stronger, staying more directional to home plate, staying linear. Then Savage calling the pitches and the scouting reports he put on, I felt like it was a master class, per se, of tunneling and working pitches off one another.”
Reddemann, who is the second-ranked Bruin behind Roch Cholowsky (Pipeline’s No. 2 prospect), has a chance to join an impressive group of Bruins currently playing in the Majors. That includes Gerrit Cole (Yankees), Garrett Mitchell (Brewers), Jake Bird (Yankees) and Matt McLain (Reds). Given Reddemann’s profile, he could be a quick mover in professional baseball.