Cincinnati Reds rookie pitcher Luis Mey is still extremely new to the major leagues, having pitched only 10 innings at the highest level so far in his career. Despite his limited experience—just 11 big league appearances and a total of 45 innings pitched above High-A—Mey’s raw talent and overpowering arsenal have already caught attention.
After spending time with the Triple-A Louisville Bats and Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, Mey entered the majors in 2025 without the usual seasoning most relief pitchers receive. However, what he lacks in experience, he more than makes up for with sheer velocity and pitch movement.
Mey’s pitching arsenal is straightforward but highly effective, relying mainly on two pitches: a sinking fastball that he throws about 80% of the time and a slider for the rest.
He doesn’t throw change-ups, curveballs, or other off-speed pitches, instead focusing on overpowering hitters with his fastball and mixing in a slider to keep them off balance.
His fastball velocity is elite—averaging 98.7 mph and ranking in the 97th percentile among major league pitchers. Opposing batters have struggled to hit it, managing just a .103 average against Mey’s heater.
His sinker combines significant vertical and horizontal movement, comparable to league averages for the pitch type, but with far greater speed than most, reaching up to 103.5 mph in the minors. This unique blend of velocity and movement makes his pitches extremely difficult to square up.
Despite his electric stuff, control remains a significant challenge for Mey. He has walked five batters in just 10 innings pitched at the major league level and has had a high walk rate throughout his minor league career—135 walks in 172.1 innings.
Both his fastball and slider tend to miss the strike zone frequently, which is a concern for long-term success. Still, some dominant closers have thrived despite high walk totals, as long as their pitches overpower hitters, and Mey’s fastball certainly does that.
Interestingly, his inconsistent control might even add to the difficulty for hitters, as unpredictability can be an advantage when paired with elite velocity.
With the Reds facing uncertainty in their closer role—former closer Alexis Diaz struggling with control issues and currently playing in Triple-A—the team has leaned on veteran Emilio Pagan to fill the void. Pagan has performed well but, at age 34, is not the long-term answer.
This creates a window for Mey to step up and become the new anchor in the Reds’ bullpen. The team showed strong faith in Mey’s potential by adding him to the 40-man roster while he was still in High-A ball, signaling their belief in his future at the major league level.
Though he is still a work in progress, Mey’s powerful arm and ability to miss bats have already justified the Reds’ investment.
In summary, while Luis Mey’s journey is just beginning and he must improve his control and gain experience, his combination of velocity, movement, and strikeout ability makes him a promising candidate to become Cincinnati’s next dominant closer, filling the gap left by Diaz and providing the team with a much-needed bullpen ace.
