CINCINNATI -- During a breakout 2021 season, Reds right-handed starting pitcher prospect Graham Ashcraft’s progress accelerated at warp speed. Ashcraft opened last year in the lower portion of the Minor Leagues but could wind up one step away from the big leagues when the ’22 season opens.

Over 22 starts combined at High Class A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga, Ashcraft was 11-4 with a 3.00 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 129 strikeouts over 111 innings. The year included a seven-start streak -- 43 innings -- without allowing an earned run and only four home runs allowed. MLB Pipeline named him the Reds’ pitching prospect of the year.

“Big kid, big stuff and very aggressive,” Reds vice president of player development Shawn Pender said. “He was dominating in the Midwest League and was also fairly dominating early in Double-A.”

Ashcraft, who turns 24 on Feb. 11, is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Cincinnati’s No. 6 prospect. A native of Huntsville, Ala., he was the organization’s sixth-round pick in the 2019 Draft out of the Univeristy of Alabama-Birmingham.

With a fastball that ranges from 93-97 mph and touches triple digits, Ashcraft is another power arm in the Reds’ system who has strong spin rates. He also uses a slider but is still working on the third pitch he would need to be a successful starter in the Major Leagues. Ashcraft’s changeup is considered fringy, while his command and control also remain a work in progress.

Ashcraft had a 4.70 ERA over his final eight starts last season.

“I think he had a lot of innings like a lot of our guys but he’s a big, strong kid,” Pender said. “Having not really had the opportunity the year before to pitch extensively [because of the pandemic], I think he started to run out of a little gas at the end.”

Ashcraft will be part of an early camp for select Reds Minor Leaguers later this month in Goodyear, Ariz., and was invited to big league camp as a non-roster player whenever regular Spring Training opens.

Beginning 2022 at Triple-A Louisville is viewed as a strong possibility.

“We’ll see how he comes in,” Pender said. “We would really look to start him in Triple-A and see how things play out.”