What Homer-Friendly Environment? Jorge Reyes Keeps the Ball in the Yard

One of the most interesting numbers in the Padres farm system is…zero.

That’s the number of homers allowed this year by Lake Elsinore starter Jorge Reyes.

How about that, huh? 34 2/3 innings in the California League, where pitchers go to die, and no homers.

Given that his end stop is San Diego, which keeps a lot of homers in the yard (unless you’re Josh Geer), that means that Reyes is likely to, at the very least, not have a homer problem in the majors.

On top of his great job preventing longballs, Reyes has a nice 33/7 K/BB ratio, which makes his 5.19 ERA look like very bad luck. His FIP of 2.74 backs this up.

Reyes throws a solid low 90’s fastball that touches 94, and his slider is one of the best in the system, so he’s got good stuff. He needs a changeup to keep lefties at bay long-term, although he isn’t having much of an issue with them this season.

Reyes was a 17^th rounder last year, but an above-slot signee who got top-five-rounds money ($200,000). He’s already this good in High-A less than a year after signing, so he looks like a good bet to be improving his stock now as the season progresses.