Reds purchase High Point left-hander Brandon Leibrandt after strong start

Brandon Leibrandt’s sharp opening run for High Point turned into a direct ticket to the Cincinnati Reds, a reminder that Atlantic League pitchers can still move fast when the numbers are loud enough. The Reds purchased the left-hander’s contract in mid-May 2024 after he opened the season on the Rockers’ Opening Day roster and gave them four starts that checked every box evaluators usually chase: results, strikes and reliability.

Leibrandt was 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA for High Point, and the command line was the part that stood out most. He struck out 24 hitters and walked only two before Cincinnati acted, production that suggested more than a good week or two. Four starts is a small sample, but that kind of strikeout-to-walk profile from a left-handed starter is exactly the sort of performance that can force an affiliated club to move before another team does.

For High Point, the transaction was the familiar Atlantic League tradeoff. The Rockers got the value of having Leibrandt in the building, then lost a rotation piece who had already given them high-end innings. High Point later said Leibrandt had pitched for the club in both 2023 and 2024, which added context to why the Reds had seen enough of him to make a move quickly. Once the contract was purchased, Cincinnati had another lefty to work with at a point in the season when pitching depth is always under strain.

The Reds’ interest did not stop there. On Aug. 29, 2024, the Atlantic League said Leibrandt had been recalled from Triple-A Louisville and added to the Reds roster, a step that showed the purchase had become a functioning path inside the organization rather than a one-off depth play. High Point also reported on Nov. 11, 2024, that Leibrandt signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees and was expected to join Yankees spring training and compete for a spot.

Leibrandt’s name carried an extra Cincinnati connection, too. He is the son of Charlie Leibrandt, who pitched for the Reds from 1979 to 1982 and appeared in 82 games with a 4.42 ERA. That lineage did not make the baseball decision, but the baseball decision fit the profile: a left-hander with striking numbers, enough durability to take the ball every fifth day, and the kind of command that can still pull a player out of the Atlantic League and into affiliated ball.