Cincinnati’s push for a Wild Card spot got a boost with the call-up of the team’s No. 24 prospect, reliever— or as Reds fans know him, “Big Sugar.”
The 24-year-old right-hander has built a reputation for his high-octane fastball. Last year with Triple-A Louisville, he fanned 58 batters across 39 1/3 innings, and he really made waves in May when he lit up the radar gun at 101 mph to close out a Reds win over the Brewers in the Spring Breakout game, punctuating it with a Roman emperor–style thumbs-down celebration.
At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, Maxwell brings a power fastball that MLB Pipeline graded at 70. His four-seamer has averaged 99 mph this year with just 10.8 inches of vertical drop.
To put that in perspective, such limited drop would rank his heater among the top 15 “rising” fastballs in the majors. Coupled with the 99 mph velocity, he’s in the same tier as elite arms like Mason Miller and Ryan Helsley.
Maxwell may be a towering presence with a memorable nickname and a growing social media following, but he understands the major leagues are a different challenge — and he’s determined to prove himself against top competition.
“I’ve got to pitch well first, right? Can’t get too far ahead,” Maxwell said. “Just keep throwing the ball the way I have been. Nothing really changes — it’s still baseball, just in a bigger stadium.”
Manager Terry Francona backed that mindset.
“If young pitchers focus on pounding the strike zone, they’ll usually be fine,” Francona said. “Of course, that’s easier said than done. But once they get to that point, it’s exciting. Consistency is everything in this game.”
With the Reds sitting just 1 ½ games behind the Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot, manager Terry Francona is counting on Maxwell to inject some energy into the bullpen.
“Every time a guy gets called up, it’s exciting,” Francona said. “We know he’s still a work in progress, but he’s been throwing really well, and hopefully that carries over to help us.”
Francona welcomed Maxwell by jokingly calling him “Cornbread,” a nod to NBA great Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell, whose jersey was retired by the Celtics when Zach was just two years old.
“He looked at me like I had six heads,” Francona laughed. “I asked if he knew who that was, and he said no.” No matter—this Maxwell already comes with a nickname of his own.
With the Reds sitting just 1 ½ games behind the Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot, manager Terry Francona is counting on Maxwell to inject some energy into the bullpen.
“Every time a guy gets called up, it’s exciting,” Francona said. “We know he’s still a work in progress, but he’s been throwing really well, and hopefully that carries over to help us.”
Francona welcomed Maxwell by jokingly calling him “Cornbread,” a nod to NBA great Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell, whose jersey was retired by the Celtics when Zach was just two years old.
“He looked at me like I had six heads,” Francona laughed. “I asked if he knew who that was, and he said no.”
No matter—this Maxwell already comes with a nickname of his own.