Since 2017, no team has produced more homegrown stars than the Atlanta Braves. It’s been an incredible run that began with the likes of Max Fried, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuña Jr, Austin Riley, and has continued with the likes of Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider, and Spencer Schwellenbach.
The Braves have a keen eye for talent and are even better at developing it. They’ve been hamstrung by strict international restrictions for a half-decade and are still pumping out stars as often as any other organization. With those restrictions now being lifted, it adds a plethora of more opportunities to find young talent, and they may have already found the next star in the recently signed Raudy Reyes out of the Dominican Republic.
Reyes stands 6-foot-4 and weighs well over 200 pounds at just 16-years-old. He received a $1.8 million signing bonus to sign with the Braves, a very high number for an international pitcher at such a young age. The frame is absurd, but it still doesn’t compare to the talent. The hard-throwing right-hander is already touching triple digits with his fastball, consistently sitting in the high-90s, which has the Braves already dubbing him “a unicorn” prospect.
#Braves will be careful with development of 16-yr-old flamethrower Raudy Reyes, "a unicorn" in their view, already topping 100 mph. Their international scouting director said Reyes' goal is to be pitching in majors by age 19. They'll train him as a starter for forseeable future.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) January 17, 2025
As you can see in the tweet from David O’Brien, the Braves also hope for Raudy Reyes to reach the majors before he even reaches the age of 20, which would put him on track to make his debut for the Braves in 2028.
That would be nothing short of incredible, but pitchers that can throw this hard at the age of 16 aren’t supposed to exist. Raudy Reyes is undoubtedly a unicorn, and the Braves have shown throughout the years that they will not hesitate to move their young arms up the ranks quickly, especially pitchers.
The three keys for that to happen will be health, control, and secondary offerings. Health is the #1 factor in determining the long-term success of pitchers. Throwing with that much velocity creates a lot of stress on the arm.
Control is the second-most important factor in a pitcher reaching his full potential. A 102 MPH fastball off the plate is worthless.
Lastly, Reyes’ secondary offerings will obviously need to make massive strides between now and the time he’s ready for the majors. The development of those pitches will also likely determine his role. Ideally, he can find a couple of go-to offerings to pair with his fastball, allowing him to keep hitters off balance for 5+ innings. However, all he really needs is one secondary offering to carve out a long career as a reliever.
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