Reeves hitting for power
Peter borough native hopes Australian Baseball League experience can prop el him to the next level in Blue Jays farm system
Mike Reeves heads to his fifth spring training in the Toronto Blue Jays organization as unsure of his future as the previous four.
But the 26-year-old Peter borough native is hopeful the fact the Jays sent him, along with five other prospects, to play winter ball in Australia is a sign they have plans for him. Reeves played 30 games for the Canberra Calvary and was named to Team World for the Australian Baseball League all-star game in early December.
Reeves discovered some power while down under belting five home runs in 109 at-bats. He also hit three in the late stages of his 2016 season with the Dune din Blue Jays in advanced A ball.
“The second half of last year and when I went to Australia I really tapped into some power,” said Reeves, who is in Peterborough visiting family before reporting to the Jays’ minor league camp in two weeks. “I was starting to hit home runs. I’ ve opened up eyes that way which I think they’d been waiting for. They’ ve been waiting to see my power potential. “
Reeves has actually lost weight since college but he feels he’s learned more about swing mechanics and how to use his body.
“Changing my swing has been a big factor. Learning how to use my lower half and letting my hands just kind of go along for the ride,” Reeves said. “That’s been a big thing in hitting home runs, doubles and getting RBIs.”
He started his season in Dune din three-for-33 and then went on the disabled list. It wasn’t the start he hoped for after getting into his first Major League Baseball preseason game when Toronto hosted the Boston Red Sox at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium last spring.
Here bounded in the second half to finish with a .244 batting average and a strong .365 on base percentage. He had three home runs, eight doubles with 16 RBI, 23 runs and seven stolen bases in 164 at-bats.
“I look at last year’s second half as a huge success,” he said.
Reeves realizes his career is reaching a point where he’s either going to move up the Jays farm system or he’s not. He’s yet to play above A ball and says it may be as simple as he makes AA this spring or he gets released.
If it’ s a key moment in his career, Reeves feels like he’s been in that situation his whole career.
“What moment isn’t key in professional baseball? Every moment is pretty defining,” he said. “I go back to my senior year in college. If I didn’t play well it was over. So I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. I’m just going to go with it and whatever happens, happens.”
Reeves thinks the Jays organization values his contributions and showed that by taking him to Montreal last spring.
“I think the Blue Jays really like me. They sent me to Australia to work on stuff there and things like taking me to Montreal. I help out the younger catchers so I’ m pretty valued that way. I’m a pretty good organizational guy and those guys are needed. Somebody has to do that job.”
It was a neat experience for the newlywed Reeves and his wife Hailey, who he met in his junior year at Florida Gulf Coast University, to go to Australia.
“It was amazing because I had just got married and the Blue Jays set me up in an apartment and got us a rental car which was really nice. We got to basically go on a vacation in Australia while I was playing baseball.”
At the Jay surging Reeves played some third base in addition to his regular catching duties.
“They want me to become more of a utility guy so I can get an extra game or two a week,” he said.
He bat ted .248 in Canberra with 13 runs scored, five doubles to go with his five dingers and 20 RBIs.
The minor leagues is more about the process of development than winning, said Reeves. In Australia the focus was winning.
“It really got me back to finding my way as a baseball player again because in the minor leagues you get caught up in the process. It was fun to go and try to win. It kind of brought life back to baseball.”
Baseball is such a game of failure, even the best players get out seven out of 10 at-bats, said Reeves, that it’s easy to lose the love of the game.
“I feel like in the last couple of years I’ ve really learned to have fun playing baseball,” he said. “Like I used to when I was a kid.”