The Royals signed Emmanuel Reyes as part of their record-setting 2022 International Class. The class was the largest in franchise history, headlined by catching prospect Juan Olmos. Of those 28 players signed, Reyes has been arguably the best of the bunch thus far. He started to make a name for himself in his first professional season for the Dominican Royals. Over 49.1 IP in the DSL that season, he struck out 52 hitters and walked only four.

Season Stats:

2022 (DSL-G): 10 GS, 46.2 IP, 0.96 ERA, 2.46 FIP, 26.7% K%, 2.3% BB%

2022 (DSL-S): 1 GS, 2.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.06 FIP, 55.6% K%, 0.0% BB%

2023 (CPX): 3 GS, 32.0 IP, 3.38 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 25.7% K%, 5.9% BB%

2023 (LOW-A): 7 GS, 37.2 IP, 4.30 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 18.4% K%, 5.1% BB%

Reyes is still just 19 years old. As he’s progressed into the farm system, he’s started to show that age and inexperience more and more. Once he reached Low-A last season, he saw a serious downward trend in punchouts, and his ERA worsened. On the statistics alone, it doesn’t look like Reyes is a true top prospect. Taking a look deeper tells a different story.

Reyes is extremely advanced in his command at such a young age. He rarely walks opposing hitters. Among all Royals farmhands with at least 30 IP last season, his 5.1% BB% at Low-A was the fourth-best. Reyes hit the ground running after a mid-season promotion to Columbia last season. Over his first two starts, he struck out 15 in just nine innings of work. The relative inexperience started to show itself as Reyes worked deeper into outings. By the third or fourth innings, his fastball velocity would decline and he’d allow more contact. As he continues to mature and build up to a true starter’s workload, there’s a very high ceiling to be found for Reyes.

Scouting Grades:

Fastball: 45/65

Slider: 45/55

Changeup: 40/50

Command: 55/60

Best Case Scenario

The range of outcomes should be expected to be vast for a young player like Reyes. The best case here is a true frontline starter. Reyes can be efficient when he’s at his best, mowing down hitters while attacking the zone with ease. His fastball doesn’t quite have the velocity you’d like currently, but he creates good spin and excellent movement with the pitch. As young as he is, there’s a case to be made that Reyes has some of the highest ceilings among any Royals pitching prospects.

Worst Case Scenario

The worst-case scenario for Reyes is about as low as the ceiling is high. As an international prospect, it’s tough to take anything to the bank right now. He’s extremely raw as a prospect, despite how well he’s done with his command thus far. If Reyes cannot start to gain velocity on his fastball and last longer into starts, it will limit his upside as a starter. At that rate, he could still develop into a good relief prospect but wouldn’t rank nearly as high in the system.