Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40 

New Jersey's best prospect for the 2020 Draft, Reilly flashed a mid-90s fastball but went unselected because he was strongly committed to Vanderbilt. He showcased electric stuff in college yet never harnessed it enough to claim a regular rotation spot. He got that opportunity in 2023 but lasted just two starts before getting banished to the bullpen for most of the rest of the season. 

Reilly's greatest strength is his ability to produce 93-96 mph fastballs that top out at 98 with arm-side run and downhill plane. His tight mid-80s slider can be a plus pitch as well, though he doesn't land it for strikes frequently enough, and he can turn it into an upper-80s cutter. He has less faith in his mid-80s changeup, which has some fading action. 

While Reilly has a quick arm, there's effort in his delivery, and he struggles to keep his mechanics in sync. He walked 5.8 batters per nine innings in three years with the Commodores and 6.8 in the Cape Cod League last summer. He has the stuff to be a late-inning reliever but also would need to upgrade his control in that role. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45

Reilly went undrafted in 2020 as a New Jersey prepster because of his commitment to Vanderbilt. He was enigmatic over his three years there, showcasing electric stuff but seldomly harnessing it. Opportunities to start, like the one he was given in 2023, didn’t go well and he spent most of his time in the bullpen. The pure stuff was too much for the Pirates to look past in the fifth round of that summer’s Draft, and Reilly pitched briefly in the Florida State League to get his professional feet wet after signing. He was having a solid first full season with High-A Greensboro when he was sent to the Orioles in return for prospect Billy Cook.

A 6-foot-3 right-hander, Reilly’s profile is similar to former organization-mate Kyle Nicolas, with huge grades on his stuff and questions about what kind of role he can fill because of his lack of command. In college, he leaned heavily on his fastball, which was 95-99 mph during his pro debut, and for good reason. With high spin and ride at the top of zone along with impressive induced vertical break, it’s a tough pitch for any hitter to square up, let alone make contact with. His mid-80s slider flashes plus, though he only landed it for a strike half the time at Vanderbilt in 2023, and he can also turn it into an effective harder cutter. He doesn’t use the changeup much, but it also could be an average offering. He’s even thrown a two-seamer in the past and toyed with a curve.

Reilly throws with quite a bit of effort, having trouble repeating his delivery and keeping his mechanics in sync, which is why he’s had such difficulty throwing strikes. He’s been working to simplify things to see whether he can get stretched out, and he was throwing more strikes, giving him a fighting chance to start.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40 

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Over the summer, Northeast area high school pitchers like Alex Santos and Jason Savacool raised their stock on the showcase circuit. Reilly didn’t pitch much over the summer, but he opened a ton of eyes with his performance at Perfect Game’s WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., in the fall. Teams that saw him there were excited to follow up on him as the weather warmed up in his native New Jersey this spring, something that never happened because of coronavirus.

Reilly has the ingredients to be a power starting pitcher in the future, but it’s all a bit raw. He was up to 96 mph during his start in Jupiter, and there’s a ton of projection in his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame to point to more consistent velocity in the future. He can spin a breaking ball -- a pitch that flashes as a plus curve, but can get loopy and slurvy at times -- with some evaluators thinking he could eventually have two distinct options. His changeup is clearly behind his fastball-breaking ball combination, but there is some belief it could become a usable offering with more repetition.

While he’s raw and doesn’t have great command right now, Reilly does have a workable delivery and clean arm action that point to decent control in the future. There’s a lot to like with this right-hander, but teams haven’t seen that much of him, making it trickier to figure out if they can sign him away from his commitment to Vanderbilt, the school he switched to from Northeastern following his performance in Jupiter.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/01/2024	RHP Patrick Reilly assigned to Bowie Baysox from Aberdeen IronBirds.
	07/30/2024	Baltimore Orioles traded OF Billy Cook to Pittsburgh Pirates for RHP Patrick Reilly.
	07/30/2024	RHP Patrick Reilly assigned to Aberdeen IronBirds.
	04/04/2024	RHP Patrick Reilly assigned to Greensboro Grasshoppers from Bradenton Marauders.
	03/07/2024	Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects activated RHP Patrick Reilly.
	08/08/2023	RHP Patrick Reilly assigned to Bradenton Marauders.
	08/08/2023	Bradenton Marauders activated RHP Patrick Reilly.
	07/14/2023	Pittsburgh Pirates signed RHP Patrick Reilly.
	06/15/2023	RHP Patrick Reilly assigned to College Workout.
	02/08/2023	RHP Patrick Reilly assigned to Vanderbilt Commodores.
	02/08/2023	Vanderbilt Commodores activated RHP Patrick Reilly.