Franmil Reyes Delivers Historic Week for El Paso Chihuahuas
In the four season history of the El Paso Chihuahuas, no player has ever delivered a week like outfielder Franmil Reyes. The 22-year old clubbed eight home runs and drove in 14 runs for the San Diego Padres' Triple-A affiliate. As of Sunday night, he currently has a 7-game hitting streak and six straight multi-hit games and four straight three-hit games. His epic power display earned him the top spot in Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet and the Pacific Coast League's Offensive Player of the Week. This is the first time since 2009 that a one team has had three straight PCL Players of the Week. Travis Jankowski won the award last week and Brett Nicholas took home the honor two weeks ago.
600 ESPN El Paso's Adrian Broaddus caught up with Reyes after a win over Salt Lake last month and he was asked about the 2018 Chihuahuas.
"The team right now—that’s the best part of the game right now. Everyone is doing their best to win the ball games. That’s what makes me happy right now. I have seen all my teammates back in spring training and I know what they got. I know that this team has a lot of talent."
"It feels really good to be a part of this team. I was telling the guys that the team feels really comfortable right now. I love this place, I love this team."
Reyes was unranked in BA's 2018 Padres Top 30 prospect list, but now he is on everyone's radar. He hit 25 home runs for San Antonio last season, which led all Padres' minor league affiliates. Reyes also plays right field for the Chihuahuas, and the Padres currently have Will Myers at the big league level, along with former El Paso stars Manuel Margot, Franchy Cordero, Hunter Renfroe, Jose Pirela, and Jankowski. The team only has three starting outfield spots, which means the Padres will have plenty of young talent as valuable trade chips while they continue to build their foundation for the future. If Reyes keeps up his torrid pace, it will be impossible for San Diego to keep him in a Chihuahuas uniform for much longer.