New York Mets: A scout’s look at right-hander Sean Reid-Foley

The New York Mets revamped the bullpen this offseason; added to the weapon belt was a prospective north-paw, from the north side of the border, Sean Reid-Foley.

His teammates referred to him as “SRF”. The Jacksonville, Florida kid was known for his signature mustache and solid baseball character. Reid-Foley was drafted out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2nd Round, 49th overall of the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft; he was a Florida State commit before putting ink to paper.

His minor league career began out of the Gulf Coast League with the GCL Blue Jays in 2014; later graduating to the Florida State League with Dunedin, then the Midwest the Lansing Lugnuts. 2017-2018 began his climb from AA New Hampshire to AAA Buffalo. On August 13, 2018, SRF cracked the seal into the show with the Blue Jays; he was ranked as the Blue Jays 11th overall best prospect by Baseball America.

In late January 2021, Reid-Foley was sent to the Big Apple along with two right-handed pitchers from Toronto, in exchange for LHP Steven Matz. Reid-Foley became a New York Met.

A look at Mets pitcher Sean Reid-Foley’s numbers

Critics may say, this deal does not quite favor the Mets; however, take a deeper dive into Sean Reid-Foley. Prior to an evaluation let’s remember, SRF’s high school numbers before the draft: 7-3, 0.64 ERA, 120 K’s 15 BB’s over 65.2 innings.  This is a great addition for the New York Mets.

Fast forwarding, his minor league numbers looked like this:

W-L: 40-38, 4.29 ERA, 585.1 IP, 507 H, 306 R, 279 ER, 283 BB, 657 K over 126 games, with 1 complete game, over 6 seasons.

Reid-Foley had 3 seasons of experience in the big leagues, in 21 games with 13 starts, going 5-8, with a 4.40 ERA, striking out 76, only walking 48 over 71.2 innings.

Here’s a breakdown of Sean Reid-Foley:

PHYSICAL MATURITY

Reid-Foley is 6’3” in height, based at 230lbs. His size, strength, and athleticism are a balanced strong blend that translates into these mechanics. He’s solid and muscular; with strong legs and a power-house upper body with a durable arm.

PLAYER STRENGTH

The 25-year-old shows consistent fastball command, with the ability to locate all of his repertoires and get up in the count with wiggle room. His fastball velocity heats up as the game progress. Also seems as if the breaks on his off-speed also emphasize.

GRADE EVALUATION:

4-SEAM FASTBALL:  70

SLIDER: 55

CHANGEUP: 50

SYNOPSIS

The New York Mets added a gem. Strong kid, flat out. His physical progression is at max; development regarding arm strength and mobility will be a usual club routine. Reid-Foley is towering and built, a mix between hockey build and basketball. His athleticism is phenomenal and flows into his mechanics which is very polished and muscle adapted. He has a consistent delivery down the hill and over the top is pin-point pitch by pitch. The ball flies well out of his hand and makes it tricky for hitters to read the delivery. The fastball moves well with good tail which seems to dart and sometimes rise; he’s not shy to pound the zone with confidence with a fastball consistency between 94-96 MPH. SRF paints corners and synchronizes with his catcher’s setups. The off-speed is very reliable; especially the change-up low and away that slows on delivery, puzzling hitters. Overall, SRF is a starter but can make a positive impact mid-game relief; possibly in post-season action.

– Nick Prasad, Independent Scout

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So, where can the New York Mets utilize Foley? In Toronto, SRF started and ate up innings. A kid can fit in between a mid-season starter and a reliever. The Mets bullpen displayed some struggle this past year. This addition along with others was a step in the right direction for the club. Mets farm system has always been reliable; adding young talented arms to surround mentors such as Marcus Stroman is a bright idea.