Injury prevented Reyes from a break out in 2024, but he has all of the markers of joining the next wave of Braves pitching prospects
Jeremy Reyes had his season cut short due to a shoulder injury, but in his short time in Augusta showed flashes of a player who could soon be one of the Atlanta Braves best pitching prospects.
How acquired
Hailing from Turmero, Venezuela, Reyes was an international signee for the Braves in January of 2023. Reyes received a relatively healthy bonus of $250,000, especially fat by the standards of an international pitcher.
Preseason Report Card
While Reyes was one of the few pitchers to received six figure bonuses for the Braves in international free agency, there was still relatively little information to be had. Reyes pitched briefly in the Dominican Summer League in 2023 and didn’t do particularly well, posting a 5.40 ERA/5.18 FIP/5.62 xFIP across 8 1⁄3 innings. He was not on our top 30 prospects, but early in the season we were given advice to keep an eye out for him in the Florida Complex League.
What we saw in 2024
Reyes was excellent in Florida, putting up one of the better seasons we’ve seen from a teenager at that level. At just 18 years old Reyes allowed only three earned runs across five appearances, putting up a 1.25 ERA/3.50 FIP/3.98 xFIP. He quickly earned a call up to Single-A Augusta, where he was the fifth-youngest pitcher to throw a pitch in the Carolina League. Reyes’s numbers were not impressive in his four starts. He had a terrific second outing with four innings of one run ball, five strikeouts, and only one walk, but was otherwise plagued by command issues. In his fourth start, on July 2nd he faced just nine batters before leaving the game with a shoulder injury, and he did not pitch for the rest of the season.
Reyes’s numbers were rough, as he had more walks than strikeouts, but he still did plenty to impress with his raw talent. Reyes sits in the mid-90’s already and has a frame to potentially add more velocity, and we have reports if him touching as high as 98 mph. Reyes also features a hard, vertical slider that has the potential to be an above average pitch, and despite limited usage has shown feel for an average changeup. These traits made him one of the players that was looking at a breakout before he got hurt, and the real question will be how much he can clean up his mechanics and command. Reyes has major league starter quality pitches, and has the athleticism to project to average command, but right now he struggles immensely to repeat his mechanics and was often nowhere near making competitive pitches.
2025 Outlook
Reyes will turn 19 prior to the 2025 season, and that will make him one of what could be four or more teenagers who start the season in Augusta’s rotation. His shoulder is expected to be completely healed by spring training with no limitations other than what the Braves typically give all of their young starters, and Reyes could be poised for a significant breakout. His fastball command will be the primary focus, but with his carrying shape and above average velocity he could turn into a dominant starter if he can command the top half of the zone like the Braves try to have their players do. The biggest keys for Reyes will be patience and repetition, but it’s as excited as I’ve been about a player in awhile. The Braves have been fantastic with improving fastball command at the lower levels over the past few seasons, which gives even more confidence that Reyes can join the likes of players like Didier Fuentes and Jhancarlos Lara who were able to improve command and break out in Single-A.