St. Louis Cardinals: Alex Reyes sparkles in rehab outings
Just after losing ace Carlos Martinez, but finding out it may only be for one start, the St. Louis Cardinals may be getting more good news with the success of Alex Reyes in rehab.
The St. Louis Cardinals had to feel like they were dealt a major blow last week when they lost ace Carlos Martinez to the DL just after losing team leader and starting catcher Yadier Molina for an extended time. However, with Martinez possibly missing just one start, perhaps the outlook is not so grim. If they see more work like Alex Reyes gave on Monday, they could have another big piece for their team up to the majors soon!
Reyes was lost early in spring training 2017 to Tommy John surgery after making an incredible run in 2016 through the minor leagues that led to him making a big splash in the major leagues at the end of the year, making 12 appearances, 5 of them starts, throwing 46 innings with a 1.57 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, posting a 23/52 BB/K.
While in the major leagues that season, Reyes averaged 97.3 MPH on his four-seam fastball, 95.8 MPH on his sinker, 88.2 MPH on his changeup, 83.4 MPH on his slider, and 78 MPH on his hammer curve.
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Reyes made his first rehab start with Palm Beach in the Florida State League on May 9th, throwing 3 1/3 innings. He moved to Peoria for a rehab start on Monday, and he went 5 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and two walks, striking out 12 hitters.
The biggest news for the St. Louis Cardinals was that Reyes touched 100 MPH on Monday and was hitting 98-99 in the 5th inning in his start Monday after hitting 99 a couple of times in his start on the 9th.
Reyes was also able to dial up his top-end hammer curve, throwing around 77-80 MPH with hard break, giving him a devastating breaking pitch to pair with his monster fastball. He was also locating his changeup very well in his Monday start, looking like the Alex Reyes that was in discussion for the top prospect overall in the game before his surgery last offseason.
Next: Molina to miss significant time
While Ales Reyes may have another 3-5 rehab appearances before he’s ready for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cards fans should be excited about the arm they’ll be getting when he gets there!