On August 2nd, the Mets claimed relief pitcher Jake Reed off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. Reed, now 28 years old, was selected in the 5th round of the 2014 draft by the Minnesota Twins, an organization he was part for 6 good-not-great seasons until 2021. He started the season with the Angels, where he had an ugly 8.44 ERA over 10.2 innings in AAA. Then, in 10.1 innings with the Dodgers' AAA affiliate, Reed posted a much more palatable 2.61 mark. He made six appearances with the major league club (5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K) before being designated for assignment. He made just a single appearance with the Durham Bulls before the Mets plucked him off waivers from Tampa Bay.
At first glance, Reed's resumé doesn't give anything to be excited about. But looking at the teams that claimed Reed should arouse interest. The Rays and Dodgers are without a doubt two of the most intelligent organizations in baseball. They can churn out quality players from waiver claims or minor signings (see: Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, Max Muncy, and the entire Rays team). The fact that both teams showed interest in Reed certainly suggests that he is capable of providing more than meets the eye.
There is always the flip side, which asks why the Rays and Dodgers would both let Reed go if he possesses the potential to be a solid bullpen piece. Potential is, well, potential, and Reed hasn't yet proven that he can hang in the big leagues. The Dodgers and Rays are both in the hunt for a World Series, and potential isn't going to get them there. Additionally, both teams have been hammered by injuries and that, combined with the trade deadline, created a roster crunch.
But what exactly sets Reed apart?
One factor in his appeal could be his arm slot. Reed has a unique delivery, almost slinging the ball to the plate at a 3/4 arm slot. The Twins had him change his delivery in 2019, and it had mixed results. Jake's ERA jumped from 1.89 in 47.2 IP to 5.76 in 75 IP, but his K/9 rose from 9.44 to 11.04. Getting a different release point can throw hitters off, and using different pitchers with varying release points is a strategy that Tampa Bay employed last October.
More likely, it could be Reed's excellent slider, which has become his primary pitch. Although it has been an admittedly small sample size, it's safe to say Reed's slider has baffled opposing hitters. In 2021, batters have a weak .192 average and .346 SLG against it.
3 comments:
I like Reed.
However, I like anchovies too.
Jake Reed looks a lot like McNeil in that picture.
Potential needs to become actual - most times, it does not. Why? Because they need to get great hitters out. And they don't get to pitch against the Mets for a breather.
He has thrown four very nice innings to start his Mets career. I like the no walks stat the best. His first three innings were two hits, no runs, 3 Ks in the disaster 14-4 Dodgers game (not part of the problem in that one) and then a perfect 12th inning in the win in San Francisco the other night. Nice to have a guy shut out a team when they start with a guy on 2nd base.
Cautiously optimistic.
Nice piece, Aiden.
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