Philadelphia Phillies Prospect Felix Reyes Can Really Hit A Baseball

That came after Reyes was named the Double-A Eastern League’s 2025 MVP. He won the batting title with a .335 average for the Reading (PA) Fightin’ Phils and had 34 doubles, 15 homers and 65 RBI in 95 games before being promoted to Triple-A last September.

“Every time he swings the bat, it’s on the barrel," Phillies manager Rob Thomson told Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer in March.

Thomson also defended Reyes’ defense. “He’s a lot more athletic and he’s faster than people give him credit for, and he handles himself very well in left field,” he said. “His first base play has improved greatly. He’s really under control, and he never gets sped up, it seems to me. So he’s a pretty impressive kid.”

A Short Stop At Shortstop

The Phillies have always worked on Reyes’ defense. Shawn Williams, manager of the Phils’ team in the Florida Coast League, believes Reyes can do more than hit.

In 2024, he gave minor-league writer Larry Shenk his assessment of Reyes’ future:

“Played some shortstop in extended spring. Has good hands and arm, we figured it could only help him to get a few innings there and it did, made some very athletic plays. Always has a smile, great personality. Loves the game, so refreshing to watch someone like that play. He can hit, has power and bat to ball skills. Big body, can play both corners and the outfield.”

Bullish Philly Fever

Reyes’ game will instantly remind Phillies fans of another defensively-challenged outfielder who won an MVP award at Reading a generation ago.

Greg Luzinski of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980. (Photo by Louis Requena/MLB via Getty Images)

MLB via Getty Images

In 1980, Greg (The Bull) Luzinski hit .325 with 33 homers and 120 RBI at Reading. Called up that September, The Bull bashed 223 homers in a Phillies uniform through 1980, when he helped the team win The World Series for the first time – in the franchise’s 98th season.

From 1975 to 1978, Luzinski averaged .295, 32 homers and 112 RBI. He also accumulated a poor 29 errors in left field over that span. That was better than the 11q he made there in 1972.

Luzinski went to the Chicago White Sox in 1981 and retired at age 33 in 1984 with 307 homers, 1,128 RBI and a .276 average.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Dick Stuart in the early 1960s.

Bettmann Archive

In 1965, the Phillies had one of the biggest bats ands worst fielders in history. Dick Stuart had hit 66 homers in a single minor-league season in 1956. ZHe hit 35 for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1961, 42 and 33 for the Boston Red Sox in 1963 and 1964. For the Phillies, he swatted 28 and had 95 RBI.

Stuart earned the nickname “Dr. Strangeglove” with good reason. At first base, he led the league in errors in each of his first seven seasons beginning in 1958. He had a whopping 29 for Boston in '63.

Reyes’ Philadelphia Phillies’ Future

MLB.com does not have Reyes ranked among the organization’s top 30 prospects. The chief reason, in addition to his ordinary defense, is his history of swinging – and often missing – at any pitch at any time.

In 372 minor-league games, Reyes has only 76 walks to 254 strikeouts. That’s not good but far, far better than many players these days. For example, veteran outfielder Jose Siri has played 373 big-league games with 76 walks and 442 strikeouts.

CLEARWATER, FL: Felix Reyes of the Philadelphia Phillies runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in a Spring Breakout game at BayCare Ballpark on March 21, 2026. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

Diamond Images/Getty Images

That’s a big reason why Siri and other players like him have bounced from team to team and up and down to the minors. Players like that often succeed against lower quality pitching and struggle against big-league stuff.

And while some are clamoring for Reyes to be called up now, the Phillies want him to keep working on improving his defense and pitch selection. He has not made an error in 107 innings this season. That’s progress.

The Phillies signed free agent outfielder Adolis Garcia to a $10 million contract in December to help the power-packed lineup that includes all-stars Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Johan Rojas, who looked so good as a rookie in 2023, is currently out, suspended 80 games for using a performance-enhancing drug on the MLB banned list.

Thus far Garcia has hit only .231 with five RBI. The team will stick with him longer before deciding to make a move.

Felix Reyes is on the Philadelphia Phillies’ radar because he often hits baseballs out of range. With some more refinements, Reyes may make the big time later this year.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com