Generals' Reyes racks up season-high four hits

Victor Reyes had a reputation that preceded him to Double-A Jackson hitting coach Jason Camilli, but after a couple of weeks into their first season together, Camilli is starting to see what all the hype was about.
"Just hearing from everyone who had him before me, including our manager, J.R. House, and his hitting coach last year, Vince Harrison, the kid has great barrel awareness and really solid hands," Camilli said. "He just has a knack of finding the barrel."
Reyes proved that on Saturday night as the D-backs' No. 14 prospect recorded his seventh career four-hit game in the Generals' 8-2 triumph over Biloxi at MGM Park. He doubled twice and drove in three runs.

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"He knows himself and he stays within himself," Camilli said. "The great thing about guys with good hands and know where their barrel is at, is that they end up finding ways to find holes, which is what he does."
The switch-hitting right fielder lined an RBI double to center field in the first to give the Generals a 2-0 lead and followed with a single to right in the third, a two-run double to left in the sixth and a single to left in the eighth. He lined out to center in the fifth.

"It's fantastic that he can spray the ball all over the field," Camilli said. "There's really no certain way a defense can play him because he uses the whole field. You just can't play him one single way defensively becasue if the pitcher makes a mistake, he's going to beat the shift."
The two doubles give Reyes five extra-base hits in 14 games this season after he totaled 29 in 124 contests last year with Class A Advanced Visalia.
"He's going to develop a little more power as he matures and progresses in the game," Camilli said. "He's long, he's got leverage and he can definitely put a charge in the baseball. If the power ends up developing, that's great, but I definitely do like a guy who finds a way to put the barrel on the ball consistently."
Reyes produced a .303/.349/.416 slash line in the California League last season. After getting his second invitation to big league Spring Training this year, the 22-year-old from Venezuela is taking his first crack at Double-A competition, where he's batting .327.
"He just needs to continue to do what he is doing and not go outside of his approach," Camilli said. "He's got a very solid plate discipline and pretty much always swings at the pitches he needs to and the pitches he wants to swing at. When you have a guy like that who is very mature and still a very young hitter, I just want to continue to see him continue to progress and put up decent numbers and go out and compete every single day."

Reyes had 10 hits in his first 27 at-bats with the Generals but followed that with a 4-for-27 funk that ended Saturday. Camilli noted a lucky charm also may have been a factor in the breakout game.
"Our manager, J.R. House, said [Reyes] went ahead and represented his country by wearing his Venezuelan arm sleeve tonight, which also helped him break out last year," Camilli said. "Tonight was the first night he wore it and he wound up with four hits."
Apart from Reyes' contributions, Jackson got some surprise run support from reliever, Gabe Speier, who homered to left leading off the seventh.
"It was the first professional swing for him and he got it up in that jet stream tonight and the ball carried out," Camilli said. "It was really, really cool to see, and he actually looked really comfortable at the plate tonight."

Evan Marzilli also belted a solo homer for the Generals, while Kevin Cron drove in three runs.
D-backs No. 11 prospect Alex Young allowed two runs on four hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings before Speier threw 3 1/3 shutout frames for his second win.
Brewers No. 28 prospectMichael Reed homered in his second straight game for the Shuckers.