2054.04 - The Long Beach Independent - Reyes Gets the Call

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2054 DRAFTEE SET TO MAKE BBA DEBUT

July 29, 2054
Long Beach, CA

Sources in the Long Beach Surfers front office have confirmed that recent draftee, Emílio Reyes will be joining the Surfers for their upcoming road series against the Portland Lumberjacks. Reyes, 20, made stops at all full season minor league teams, most recently hitting .311/.346/.417 at AAA Commerce, just up the freeway from Vito Costantino Memorial Stadium.

As predicted by Gary Tinstaap, Reyes is making his debut less than two months after being drafted out of college. The righty has been performing as expected at every spot, and while the team would like to see more polish on defense, it appears they have confidence that he's ready to face big league pitching. It should also be noted that incumbent CF Arthur Daniel has struggled mightily at the plate this year, hitting just .202/.282/.245 (43 OPS+). While Daniel's defense has been stellar (enough to overcome his offense for an overall 0.4 WAR) it appears that the team is ready to transition Daniel to a reserve role.

Reyes is not anticipated to be a star on offense, but he won't have to be if his glove lives up to the Zimmer-level potential that scouts see. The Commerce Yard Goats have just returned from a forgettable series in Austin that saw Reyes hit just 3/15 with one home run. Emílio was reportedly elated to receive the news of his call up yesterday evening after landing with the team at Daugherty Field (LGB), and we're guessing that the 0/5 yesterday will be a distant memory by the time the team plane touches down in Portland tonight.

The Surfers rough July has caused them to drop 8 games behind division leaders Hawaii and Sacramento, but they are comfortably third in the division and hold a three game advantage for the last FL Wild Card position. With the return of Steveland Morris to the top of the lineup, and the addition of Reyes at the bottom, the Surfers will look to surge into August and gain ground in the Pacific.

[Patrick M]

Good read.