Cuban pitcher Leodan Manuel Reyes will sign with the Washington Nationals when the new 2023-2024 international signing period begins, according to colleague Francys Romero. That signing will become official on January 15, 2024. Reyes has excellent fastball that clocks in between 93-94 miles and maxes out at 96, he was one of the best talents still on the island before his departure in mid-December 2022.
He projects very to have very good stuff with good command as well. He also boasts an array secondary pitches that includes a above average slider, curveball and changeup. He has been taking steps since has been departure to training hard since his arrival in DR, two months after he made landfall he received his Free Agency and come the beginning of the year the Nationals will give him a signing bonus of approximately $70,000. He will most likely begin at the teams Rookie League once he signs and will be shipped to the Nationals complex in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Source: Cuban RHP Leodan Reyes (23) is expected to sign with the Washington Nationals when a new international signing period opens January 15, 2024.
Reyes has a starter profile with 3-4 pitches including a fastball settled at 92-94 mph.
He was a member of the Cuba U-23… pic.twitter.com/RfiUd9yKEh
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 12, 2023
Once here he will commence to refine his skills by making some starts and then be assigned to the different levels of the Minor Leagues. Reyes was left off of Cuba’s U-23 pre-selection for the World Cup, after that he joined the team for the tournament in Taichung he was the best pitcher on the Cuban staff and even made a pleasant impressions on the Japanese scouts. During the competition he pitched 7.2 innings, did not allow runs and issued only one walk, all while showing excellent command, especially in complicated situations.
He won Bronze medal in the last U-23 National Championship under the tutelage of Donald Duarte, leading the strikeouts squad with 32. He also notched four victories during the competition and posted an excellent 1.35 ERA in more than 30 innings pitched. He also pitched in the 2022 Caribbean Cup held in Nassau, Bahamas.
As a starter he had a quality outing against the Bahamian team hurling six innings without allowing a score. A few days after that event he decided to leave Cuba. Despite rumors that there was very strong interest from plenty of Japanese organizations, Leodan opted for the path of signing as a professional with an MLB franchise, now he is close to fulfilling that dream for which he left his country.