The Cleveland Indians swept the weekend series against the Detroit Tigers and Franmil Reyes stood out as a key contributor in all three games.
His big weekend started Friday night when he hit two home runs, driving in three of the team’s four runs in a 4-2 victory.
He had three total hits in the game in what was the Franmil Show Friday night.
Reyes then kept the party going Saturday night with another homer in the 11-3 rout of Detroit.
The slugger added two more hits and an RBI Sunday and now looks like a legitimate threat for opposing pitchers to face on a nightly basis.
Franmil Reyes has hit 3 home runs in the last 24 hours. 🔥#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/N9UaDWXWuV
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) April 11, 2021
Franmil Reyes’ Steady Rise
Reyes was traded to Cleveland during the 2019 season and got off to a slow start with his new team.
He finished the year slashing .237/.304/.468 with 10 home runs in 51 games with the Indians that year.
Reyes also had 63 strikeouts in those 51 games.
But he remained a young player who had only made his MLB debut in 2018.
He needed more time to develop and get comfortable at the plate.
2020 obviously made any sort of development difficult for young players all around the league.
Reyes still ended up playing in 59 games and raised his average to .275.
He also hit nine home runs and 10 doubles in the shortened season.
This was not some mind-blowing year, but positives emerged.
The 27 home runs he hit in San Diego during the first half of 2019 is what had Indians fans feeling excited.
Now it would be no surprise if he could get to 35 or 40 in 2021.
Franmil Reyes’ Secure Role in the Lineup
Franmil Reyes to the haters right now #YoureAnIdiotAndDontKnowBaseball pic.twitter.com/Iw3W69J0Or
— DollarDog Nick @BIGPLAY (@DollarDogSports) April 9, 2021
Indians manager Terry Francona has been toying with his lineup since the season began last week.
But even with all the changes, Jose Ramirez, Eddie Rosario, and Reyes have formed a solid trio in the heart of the order.
Fans know Ramirez is going to play at or near an MVP level.
Rosario is a veteran who famously destroyed Indians pitching in the past.
Reyes was the wild card of the group who still entered the year with high expectations.
The way he is absolutely mashing home runs so far is a great sign and provided some much-needed stability in the middle of the lineup.
One great series doesn’t necessarily mean Reyes is destined for some All-Star season.
What it does mean, however, is that he is comfortable in his role and should thrive as a DH in 2021.
Remember, he is still only 25 years old and has played one full season in his MLB career.
That full season in 2019 came in two different cities as well.
Reyes was a star over the weekend and now needs to keep up the great work against some tougher competition next week.
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