Anthony Reyes

Got to watch Redbirds pitcher Anthony Reyes in Omaha on Tuesday.  Most of you have probably read some things about him, but I wanted to see him in person.  Some thoughts:

Reyes is 6'2"/215, a big strong pitcher.  His appearance and delivery looks to me to be similar to Roger Clemens: glove near the face when he starts, high leg kick, strong side to the plate.  He works very quickly, looking for new signs almost as soon as he gets the ball.  Reyes threw a lot of fastballs, most in the range 91-92, with a few up around 94, with what looked like really good movement.  He changed things up with a slider that was anywhere from 82-85 and a great changeup that sat right around 75.  I left after the 6th inning and he had thrown 88 pitches, given up no runs, and struck out 6.  His final line:
7 IP, 3H, 1ER, 2BB, 7K, 107 pitches

Season Stats:
3-1, 32.1IP, 5GS, 2.78, 22H, 33/6 K/BB, 4HRA

Reyes seems to be pitching with supreme confidence right now.  He didn't seem challenged or rattled at anything Omaha threw at him.  Not that Omaha has a any good bats, but he still looked very strong.  He challenged hitters with his good fastball, and his changeup looked really sharp.  Not much contact made with the change, which to me is a very good sign for a young pitcher.  I think I'd like to see him struggle a bit in his first year of AAA, but with more than a few pitchers in St. Louis looking at free agency, I'd like to think we'll see him in the rotation in '06 (along with Wainwright, who's stats are even better so far).  As a Cardinals fan, it's easy to get excited about this guy.

P.S. - Reyes' cap has the FLATTEST bill in all of baseball.  You could put a marble on that thing in the 1st inning, and it may not roll off until the 6th.