Sean Reid-Foley was called up by the Jays just a couple days ago and will make his big league debut tonight against the Kansas City Royals. The Jays pitching staff has been atrocious this season with a team ERA of 4.71, which ranks them 25th in the majors.
Their only productive arm this season was traded away at the deadline, JA Happ, to the Yankees. This season has been a disaster for Toronto but this will be a chance for Reid-Foley to make his mark in a Jays uniform and hopefully finish out the season in the big leagues if he can pitch well enough.
Reid-Foley has been absolutely dominant this season between double-A New Hampshire and triple-A Buffalo. Between the two stops, the 22-year old has a 2.98 ERA, while striking out 146 hitters in 126.2 innings pitched. He started off the year in AA, but after just eight starts, he was promoted to Buffalo. Reid-Foley has held opposing lineups to a dismal .205 average.
What He Brings to the Jays
Toronto’s 10th overall prospect, Reid-Foley brings an electric fastball to the table that hovers around 94-95 mph with the ability to ramp it up to the high 90s when need be. The fastball has some nice arm-side tail thanks to his arm slot, regularly running in on right-handed hitters and generating weak contact. He complements the heater with a curveball and slider that have the potential to be at least average pitches at the big league level. The 6 foot 3 righty also throws a changeup that is a work in progress and could also turn into another solid off-speed pitch.
Reid-Foley’s deceptive delivery is one of the reasons he is very effective and racks up the strikeouts. He has a pretty simple leg kick and finish, but the thing that makes him tricky to pick up is the minimal arm swing he has. He does a great job of hiding the baseball until he’s at his release point. Even though he doesn’t throw 100 mph, it makes it very tough for hitters to pick up the baseball out of his hand when he hides it for so long. Because of his deception and arm action though, he does tend to struggle with command at times. Regardless, the righty does have some good stuff on the mound and the physicality to be a mid-rotation guy for the Jays in the future.
If the off-speed pitches develop even more in the near future and he can sharpen his ability to throw strikes on a consistent basis, the Jays could have a very good arm in their rotation for many years to come.
Several Young Guys Ready for a Call-up
The Jays also called up Danny Jansen along with Reid-Foley, who is Toronto’s number two prospect right now. Jansen will see some time behind the plate and will also bring some offensive production to the Jays lineup after hitting .275 with 12 homers so far this year in triple-A Buffalo.
Despite this season being a disappointment for the Blue Jays, they have several young players who are on the verge of coming to the big leagues. Vlad Guerrero Jr is the main one who is destined for a call-up despite being just 19-years old. The power-hitting third basemen has gone deep in four straight games for Buffalo. He is currently the number one prospect in all of baseball. Bo Bichette Jr is also on the doorstep of the majors in the next year or so. The shortstop is a very toolsy player who can play defense, hit for power, hit for average, and absolutely fly on the basepaths.
The Jays definitely have a bright future, and Sean Reid-Foley will be a glimpse into the next generation of Blue Jays when he makes his debut tonight against the Royals.
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