Yankees prospect's personal best has fans clamoring for his ascension to the majors

Eric Reyzelman wasn't a name that was given much thought in the hierarchy of New York Yankees prospects. Ranked No. 28 in an organization whose entire system sits in the bottom third of the majors, it's easy to see why many haven't taken note. Add in the fact that he's a relief prospect, and the future value seems limited.

That is, until he uncorked a 100 miles per hour heater to secure a strikeout.

As the cracks in the big league bullpen begin to show, the attention that Reyzelman has garnered thanks to his newfound triple-digit velocity has made some folks take note of the quietly good start he's gotten off to at Somerset. And some are wondering aloud if he could soon take a spot in the Yankees' bullpen.

Eric Reyzelman can provide a skill the Yankees' bullpen is lacking and help rebalance the unit

There are a couple of things that the Yankees' bullpen truly lacks. The first is high-end velocity. The club's relievers rank 18th in average fastball velo at 94.5 miles per hour, and the leader of the pack is the biggest problem child out there, Camilo Doval.

The next issue is that New York relievers are roughly average at recording outs via the strikeout. The 'pen ranks 13th in baseball with a 22.9% K-rate.

Watching Tim Hill throw 88 miles per hour lawn darts that get beat into the ground isn't the most exciting thing in the world, even if he's been stellar overall and the Yankees' best reliever. The thing is, though, sometimes those grounders find holes and big innings happen out of nowhere. Plus, having different strengths to contrast that soft-tossing prowess might make it more effective overall, as the change from one reliever to the next can throw opposing hitters off balance.

Reyzelman might not be highly-touted, but his ranking is a bit misleading. The LSU product missed a lot of time early in his career due to injury, specifically a cyst on his back that held him to just 8 2/3 innings over his first two pro seasons and required three surgeries.

While the 100 miles per hour personal record makes it seem like his velocity came out of nowhere, he's regularly sat in the high-90s for his career. He pairs that high-octane heater with a devastating sweeper, and when he's on, he can rack up tons of strikeouts.

That's what happened in 2024, when a finally healthy Reyzelman worked his way back from rehabbing in the Florida Complex League to stints in High-A and Double-A. He threw a combined 38 2/3 innings with a 40.9% K-rate. He finished the year with a 1.16 ERA overall.

His 2025 campaign, however, featured a lot of regression. Reyzelman was promoted to Scranton, but at the minors' highest level he struggled to throw strikes, posting a 22.3% walk rate while his strikeout rate dipped to 23.9%. That led the Yankees to start him back in Somerset this year, but he shouldn't be there for long.

The right-hander has made 12 appearances and tossed 15 2/3 innings while striking out nearly half of the batters he's faced. His K-rate comes in at 48.3%, and that walk issue is now nonexistent as he's issued free passes at just a 6.7% clip. Opposing hitters are batting just .161 against him, and even when he struggled last year, he only yielded a .181 batting average against, proving how important fixing the command was for him.

Last but not least, promoting Reyzelman would fix a frustrating roster construction issue that has plagued the bullpen all season. By virtue of carrying both Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, New York essentially has two long relievers, which makes little sense. The pair is only called upon to eat innings due to a short start or mop-up situation, which is not an effective use of resources and puts an undue strain on the other six arms that make up the relief corps, who have to work more to pick up the slack.

The Yankees' roster moves when they sent down Elmer Rodriguez further exposed the inefficiency, when they called up Yerry De los Santos from Scranton, who fills a similar role. Given that De los Santos still has options, they can easily choose one of Blackburn/Yarbrough to keep, and tap De los Santos as a replacement should injury arise. This way, the bullpen would actually be constructed in a way that makes sense.

It might not happen right away, but keep an eye on Reyzelman. If everything is clicking, he might be an underrated option, and it's worth giving him a shot sooner rather than later. At least that way, the Yankees will know what they have in him and then can plan their trade deadline accordingly.

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