Patrick Reilly success begins with elevated fastball

Reilly is among strikeout leaders in Pirates' season in first year of pro ball

When the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Patrick Reilly in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, they knew they were getting a power arm, although one that had struggled with control in college.

Seeing his potential, they have him working out of the rotation this year in Greensboro.

Through the first half of the minor league season, no one has more strikeouts than Reilly in the Pirates’ system. Through 60.1 innings pitched this year, Reilly has struck out 79 batters, a 31.6% rate.

In relief, Reilly has gotten his fastball up to 99 mph multiple times, but according to FanGraphs, he has sat 92-95 while topping out at 97 as a starter this year.

Pitching twice last week against Hudson Valley, Reilly put together a career-best outing on Tuesday, striking out 10 batters in six shutout innings.

Over the 9.2 innings he pitched that week, Reilly struck out 15 batters and walked only three, which is also key for him.