Former Roughrider Reyes finding success in pro baseball – Joplin Globe

NEOSHO, Mo. — The biggest moment in the baseball career of San Francisco Giants minor leaguer Mark Reyes didn’t come on a professional field. 

Despite pitching well enough last season in his first full year as a pro to be named a South Atlantic League mid-season and postseason all-star, Reyes insists his biggest moment on the diamond occurred in May 2014 at Wendell Redden Stadium in Joplin.

Site of the 2014 Region 16 baseball championships, Reyes pitched his Crowder College Roughriders to a 9-2 victory in a complete-game effort over Mineral Area Community college to capture the school’s first region title in four years. Reyes, who retired the final 20 batters in order and didn’t surrender a hit after the third inning — said he will forever remember that hot summer day in Joplin.

“That was one of the proudest moments I’ve ever had in baseball,” Reyes said. “Absolutely. Especially doing it with that team.”

After spending his freshman season at the University of Arkansas in 2012, Reyes missed the 2013 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Transferring to Crowder as a sophomore in 2014, Reyes went 8-3 with a 2.20 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 86 innings for Travis Lallemand’s Roughriders. 

His performance in the region championship was one of many stellar outings that caught the attention of the Giants, who selected him in the 22nd round of the 2014 MLB June Amateur Draft. Rather than continuing his collegiate career at Southern Mississippi, Reyes signed with San Francisco on July 18.

The jump from JUCO to professional baseball was a struggle, he said.  

“I wouldn’t say my half-season with the Giants was handled very well,” Reyes said. “You’ve got a lot of players there just trying to swing out of their shoes. In college, teams have approaches, but then you go (to the minors) and it’s a big jump.”

You couldn’t tell by looking at his numbers. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound southpaw from Jessieville, Arkansas, went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in five games (three starts) with the Arizona League Giants (Rookie) in 2014, striking out 12 and walking three in 12 innings. 

He was even better in 2015 after a jump to Class-A Augusta, going 9-6 with a 2.13 ERA in 23 starts for the GreenJackets, striking out 89 and walking 36 while allowing 115 hits in 139 2-3 innings.

“Last year, I had a good season and the pitching coaches are really good,” Reyes said. “They teach you everything you need to know and then all you have to do is go out and execute. That’s what I did.”

Reyes, who returns to Crowder during the offseason to work out with Lallemand and the Roughriders in preparation for Spring Training, and was on hand for the Roughriders’ recent meet and greet with 2016 commits, said he’s enjoying the rigors of professional baseball, even if it’s not as glitz and glam as some might think.

“It’s fun and stuff, but it’s a struggle as well,” Reyes said. “But when you start playing when you’re 4 years old, it’s everybody’s dream to make the big leagues. Very few actually make it, but so far it’s been a dream come true. 

He’s hoping to become the next Roughrider to reach the major leagues after fellow southpaw Mike Kickham accomplished the feat in 2013 with, you guessed it, the Giants. Reyes said the impact Lallemand and his program made on him is what keeps him coming back.

“I’ve just got to keep grinding,” Reyes said. “The challenge is having to work your way up. You just have to be in the right place at the right time.”