Reyes was an international signing in 2012 for the Pirates out of the Dominican Republic, and in his first taste of Double-A action this season, he has proven to be a versatile, athletic defender for Altoona, showing signs of a future Role 45 utilityman for the Bucs, if not a Role 50 average regular in the middle infield.

Reyes is a plus athlete with a compact, lean and athletically proportioned frame packed with muscle, and he looks to be playing a healthy 20 pounds above his listed weight. In my three-game look he was firmly planted at second base, though he has also logged 14 games at shortstop and 31 games center field. At second base, he showed quick-twitch actions, pairing well with soft hands and quick transfers, along with solid-average arm strength and above-average footwork and range. At the plate, his plus hand/eye and quick hands give him plus barrel control, and he shows a mature approach at the plate that allows him to be selective and work deep into counts (48/62 BB/SO rate in 437 PA’s). He has some loft and leverage in the swing to generate sneaky pull-side pop, and it’s added up to a solid .280/.366/.423 slash line with 10 home runs through August 22. He did show some susceptibility to offspeed in these looks, getting out on his front foot, but his quick hands and bat speed still allow him to make consistent contact.

On the bases, he’s a plus runner with some jailbreak out of the box, good for 4.00-to-4.08 second home-to first times, and he’s a regular threat to go when he gets on, pressuring defenses to prevent him from scoring from first base on a double. He reminds me of Freddie Galvis (SS, Phillies) both with the actions in the dirt and with the game power profile coming from a compact build. The Bucs seem to like his above-average defense, and his ability to hit for average and get on-base enough to test his athleticism in center field, where his speed, arm, and instincts should also play well. He’s a player to watch heading into 2018, with a good bet that he breaks camp with Indianapolis.