BenFred: Alex Reyes made baseball hyperventilate – STLtoday.com

He made Peter Gammons tweet “omg.”

Perhaps that’s the best way to describe the Internet reaction Cardinals pitching prospect Alex Reyes caused with his Sunday night start in the Futures Game at San Diego’s Petco Park.

The flame-throwing 21-year-old righty started and totaled four strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings before other Team World arms got their turn. He surrendered two hits — a triple to Astros prospect Alex Bregman and a double to Athletics prospect Ryon Healy — and a walk to Rangers prospect Travis Demeritte.

But man, the strikeouts. Baseball’s best pitching prospect sat down four of the best prospects in baseball, swinging. Seven of his fastballs touched 100 or 101 mph, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark. Post-Dispatch Cardinals beat writer Derrick Goold captured the outing here.

In the first inning Reyes sat down the first batter he faced, Andrew Benintendi on an 88 mph changeup. Benintendi, drafted No. 7 overall by the Red Sox in 2015, is expected to make his major league debut soon.

After falling behind Clint Frazier 2-0, Reyes evened the count with an 87 mph changeup followed by a 99 mph four-seam fastball. Then, after an 81 mph curve became a ball, he blew another 99 mph four-seamer by Frazier. Frazier, the Indians fifth overall pick in 2013, already has 11 homers in Class AA ball this season. He didn’t get his bat on one of Reyes’ offerings.

Reyes’ final two strikes to Hunter Renfroe were a 90 mph 2-seam fastball, followed by a 101 mph four-seamer. Renfroe, drafted 13th overall by the Padres in 2013, barely brushed the ball before the catcher clasped the foul tip.

Reyes had just one K in the second inning, but it was memorable because it made Dansby Swanson look like Average Joe. Swanson, the Diamondbacks’ No. 1 overall pick in 2015 before he was traded to the Braves, watched back-to-back 98 mph four-seam fastballs for strikes before whiffing on an 80 mph curve.

And baseball freaked:

Never mind that Reyes flashed the control issues that suggest he could use some more time in Class AAA. Completely disregard the fact that when Reyes did get hit, he got hit hard. The strikeouts!

Reyes’ pure power, his pitch diversity and his punch-em-out capability makes you want to gloss over every potential downside of sticking him in the struggling Cardinals bullpen as soon as the second half of the season starts. The Cardinals must be more pragmatic, of course. But where’s the fun in that?