Reds reliever Luis Mey sounds ready for the spotlight (but he'll lean on the vets)

It’s been just over a year since Luis Mey burst onto the radar with a dominant performance in the Arizona Fall League. Since then, he made his MLB debut and wrangled his walk rate to a much more manageable 5.45 BB/9 across Triple-A and the big leagues. Such success naturally breeds confidence, but Mey is still making the most of the opportunity to learn from the vets at spring training.

Cincinnati reporter Charlie Goldsmith shined a light on Mey in his recent bullpen preview. Mey seems like he’s taking a Karate Kid-esque approach to 2026: stick with his mentors (Emilio Pagán and Tony Santillan), get his reps in, and be “one with the ball.” If he can successfully do that, Mey could be one of the most lethal bullpen weapons in the majors.

Luis Mey is taking every opportunity to learn from Reds veterans like Emilio Pagán this spring

Calming down will be Mey’s most important skill this year. The fireballer’s control degraded as he faced higher-level situations in the majors. According to Baseball-Reference, in low-leverage scenarios, he walked 13.5% of batters he faced; in medium-leverage situations, that number rose to 19.2% and then 27.8% in high-leverage relief.

Pagán, the Reds’ incumbent closer, was much more consistent (7.2% low, 7.6% medium, 9.3% high). Santillan actually performed better as the leverage increased (10.1% low, 9.1% medium, 9.6% high).

Imagine if Mey learns to slow his heart rate a bit. The Reds will have a pitcher with elite velocity (his sinker averages 98.9 mph and touches 103) and a swing-and-miss slider (40% whiff rate) in the mix with Pagán, Santillan, groundball specialist Graham Ashcraft, and strikeout artist Connor Phillips. That’s enough to put some late-game pressure on opponents.

Phillips and Zach Maxwell may be Mey’s stiffest competition in camp. The trio has off-the-charts velocity that would be ideal for high-leverage situations, but each also has his faults. Maxwell, like Mey, struggles with command, particularly with his sweeping breaking pitch. Phillips, until recently, just couldn’t seem to keep the ball in the ballpark. Phillips and Maxwell got the nod and performed well during the tense stretch run, adding pressure to Mey.

Spring training is as much about player development as it is about position battles. Here, the Reds have a healthy mix. Mey is making the most of both.