Alexander Reyes (born August 29, 1994) is a Dominican–American Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals (MLB). He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cardinals in December 2012 and made his MLB debut on August 9, 2016.
Baseball America ranked him as the second-best prospect overall in their 2016 mid-season ranking, despite being the Cardinals’ top prospect entering both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He’s appeared in two All-Star Futures Games and was named one of the Cardinals’ Co-Minor League Pitchers of the Year in 2015.
Reyes’s typical offerings include a fastball that can reach 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), a power curveball and a change-up. The fastball, known for its prodigious lateral and horizontal movement, normally runs from 94 miles per hour (151 km/h) to 97 miles per hour (156 km/h), making it extremely tough for hitters to hit firmly.
It works best when used high in the strike zone. The curveball has been dubbed a “wipeout” pitch because of its vertical falling pattern that follows the points from “12-to-6” on the clock, making it equally tough for batters to hit.
The combination of fastball and curveball adds to the much higher-than-average strikeout rates. Reyes normally throws both pitches for strikes, however, his fastball command was below average. The modification will need to be fine-tuned further.
How Much Does Alex Reyes Make?
Alex Reyes earns an annual salary of $2,500,000.