Alex Reyes Has Downright Filthy Stuff

Alex Reyes made his Major League debut on Tuesday night for the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Cardinals fans have been eagerly waiting to see the system’s top prospect in action and he did not disappoint as he showcased his dominant stuff which if you didn’t know already…is downright filthy.

The St. Louis Cardinals got some bullpen help on Tuesday night when Alex Reyes, the organization’s top pitching prospect, was called-up to make his major league debut. He got the call in the top of the ninth down by three and went to work showcasing his filthy arsenal.

The scouting book on Reyes is well known by now. He features two double plus pitches – a high-nineties heater that routinely touches triple digits and a true 12-6 curveball. He has also added a sinker to his arsenal and has a changeup that is still a work in progress, but has a chance to be a plus pitch.

His stuff is as good as any prospect not named Lucas Giolito and if you don’t believe me…watch this filthiness.

I mean….GOOD LORD. That’s a 76 mph. hammer followed by some 101 mph. high heat.

SIT DOWN Adam Duvall.

NOW you know what the hype is about.

According to Brooks Baseball, Reyes threw 11 pitches in his debut – 9 fastballs and 2 curves. The results were the Duvall strikeout and two weak ground balls to the right side.

His fastball?

It AVERAGED 99.5 mph.

The Cardinals are going the Carlos Martinez route with Reyes – letting him pitch in the bullpen in the majors to start. They are in an all-hands-on-deck mode anyway while chasing the post-season, and Reyes can  (obviously) be a real weapon for them down the stretch.

It will be interesting to see how they use him, but since he’s stretched out, I could envision them using him the same way the Reds are currently using Raisel Iglesias – pitching multiple innings per outing every few days.

Next year I fully expect him to return to starting – and likely in Triple-A. As dominant as he was last night, he still needs work.

The control and command need polishing and while there has been improvement this year, he still averaged 4.4 BB/9 over 65.1 innings and 14 starts for Memphis.

The control troubles are not mechanical in nature and his ability to hit triple digits is actually a blessing AND a curse as he has a tendency to overthrow and that’s when his issues start.

Even without refining his change, he has the ceiling of a perennial all-star ace.

Ace isn’t a term that should be thrown around lightly when talking about prospects, but I mean…you saw that filth…right?

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A 50 game suspension for a drug of abuse (marijuana) delayed the start of his season and so his development is slightly behind where it might have been.

He’ll be afforded every opportunity to stick as a starter as long as he stays injury-free and his body-type is well-suited for durability.

And the other amazing thing about Reyes?

After six inning he’s still throwing gas.

He should be able to throw 200 innings eventually and with that swing-and-miss stuff you are looking at an incredible fantasy commodity if you are in dynasty leagues.

Of course, the alternative is one as a dominant closer – kind of what you saw last night.

That’s a pretty high floor and in reality, he’ll likely end up somewhere in between.

But IF he puts it all together….

I’ll leave you with some scouting video of Reyes courtesy of FanGraphs.

Next: Rockies Dahl Will Continue To Keep Hitting

I can’t get enough of Alex Reyes. Seriously.

That stuff is downright FILTHY.