Denyi Reyes is a right handed pitcher trying to get to Queens with the Mets this spring. Reyes was signed by the Red Sox in 2015 but never made the majors with them. He was signed by the Orioles before the 2022 and got into three games between the end of May and the start of June tossing 7 2/3 innings with a 2.35 ERA, 2.72 FIP, 1.174 WHIP and a 179 ERA+.
Denyi Reyes stats in the minors don’t tell the full story of his effectiveness. He had a lousy 7.17 ERA over 15 games (10 starts) and 54 innings of work with 1.519 WHIP. His walk rate though was a paltry 3.3%. That coupled with the success he had in his brief major league season last year gives hope that there is something here.
Denyi Reyes has four pitches. He leans on his fastball the most (average 93 mph) and mixes in a low-80’s sliders, mid-80’s changeup and a mid-70’s curveball. Over his three games in the majors last year his fastball velocity was in the 39th percentile, spin the 21st and extension in the 94th.
Over his career in the minor leagues (seven seasons), Reyes has posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.088 WHIP in almost 600 innings of work. At the very least, he should be better in Syracuse than he was in Norfolk last season.
Due to his ability to pitch both in relief and start games, there’s a high chance we’ll see him at some point this season if he gets onto the Mets 40-man roster. The Mets are still rebuilding minor league spot starting options for when they need one turn in the rotation. While this season’s major league club is built different, we’ve seen the Mets go from full rotations to rotations with one or two healthy pitchers the last two seasons. It’s always good to have options which is what Denyi Reyes brings to the table.
