Adam Reifer
| IP | 386 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 3.614 |
| WHIP | 1.29 |
| BB/9 | 4.057 |
| SO/9 | 8.604 |
- Full name Adam James Reifer
- Born 06/03/1986 in San Dimas, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School UC Riverside
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Drafted in the 11th round (352nd overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007 (signed for $100,000).
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Projected UC Riverside closer Adam Reifer missed most of the spring with what was originally diagnosed as a bone spur in his right elbow. He did not need surgery after a second exam found a stress reaction in the bone due to tendinitis. He was back throwing off a mound in April but had not returned to game action. He threw 95-96 mph before he was sidelined. Reifer could apply for a medical redshirt and return next year as a junior and possible first-round pick, but he also could be one of the new-style draft-and-follow picks this season.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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What set up to be a breakout year for the hard-throwing reliever turned instead into a lost summer when Reifer leapt from the mound to field a bunt in mid-April. He shredded a ligament in his right knee and required reconstructive surgery that ended his season. Given good health, Reifer sports pure heat. He has touched 98 mph throughout his pro career, though he has found more command and success by dialing back his fastball to 93-96. His fastball cuts, especially against lefties. Reifer has a slider that can be overpowering when he locates it in the strike zone, and he was developing a splitter before he got hurt. His control has improved markedly in the last two years, though he hasn't dominated minor league hitters as much as his stuff would indicate he should. He battled bone spurs and elbow tendinitis at UC Riverside in 2007, when he was a teammate of Joe Kelly, but lingering questions about Reifer's durability vanished after he thrived as a worker-bee reliever in 2009 and 2010. The Cardinals are confident enough in his health to keep him on the 40-man roster and believe he'll be 100 percent for spring training. He'll likely begin 2012 in Triple-A but could contribute in St. Louis later in the season. He has a ceiling as a set-up man. -
Reifer came out of college with a reputation for throwing hard but fighting to stay healthy, and over time he has learned that dialing back his velocity helps. He can throw pure gas, but he has dialed back his fastball a bit, dropping from 98 mph heat to a 93-96 range that offers him more command and supports his aggressive approach. His ball cuts more than it sinks, especially to lefthanded hitters, and he comes right after hitters. Reifer has a slider that at times can be a plus-plus pitch, and with better command last year he was able to get ahead in counts and deploy it more consistently as a put-away pitch. He has worked on a splitter that could be a plus pitch if he gets consistent with it. His strikeout-walk ratio jumped from 2.0 in 2009 to 3.3 in 2010. A compact delivery helps, and while command was key to his promotion to Triple-A, so was health. Reifer battled bone spurs and elbow tendinitis as a junior in college, and lingering durability questions have dissipated after his workload the last two seasons. He'll battle for the closer job in Memphis after being added to the 40-man roster for the first time. -
Though he pitched just seven innings while battling bone spurs and elbow tendinitis as a UC Riverside junior, the Cardinals invested an 11th-round pick in the 2007 draft and a $100,000 bonus in Reifer. He rated as the best pitching prospect in the short-season New York-Penn League in his 2008 pro debut, then skipped a level and closed games in high Class A last season. He features one of the best fastballs in the system, hitting 96-97 mph consistently and peaking at 99. He also has a slider that grades as a plus-plus pitch at times. His control and command don't score as high, however. Reifer lacks life on his four-seam fastball and often struggles to find the strike zone, getting into more jams than someone with his stuff should. St. Louis will keep him in the closer's role as he advances, though he'll need more command and more cool under duress to succeed at higher levels. -
The Cardinals felt like they were able to bring in a premium arm when they took Reifer in the 11th round of the 2007 draft, after he had thrown just seven innings during his junior season at UC Riverside. Bone spurs and elbow tendinitis didn't spook the Cardinals, and they signed him for $100,000 and then gave him the rest of the summer off to recover. The investment has returned a high-caliber arm who has back of the bullpen potential. Reifer was rated the top pitching prospect in the short-season New York-Penn League, with the best pure stuff in the league. Radar guns regularly clocked his fastball at 96-97 mph and he touched 99. One scout rated it an 80 pitch on the 20-80 scouting scale and said his slider could be a 70. The slider regularly sits in the low 90s, and he has a developing changeup that sinks in at 86-87 mph. Reifer held lefthanders to a .086 average, and he converted 22 of 24 saves for the championship Batavia club. He's athletic, with a smooth delivery, and he's both aggressive and assertive enough to remain as a closer. One of the biggest arms in the system, Reifer is ticketed for the ninth inning at a full-season club, with a leap to high Class A possible.
Minor League Top Prospects
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An elbow injury limited Reifer to seven innings as a UC Riverside junior in 2007, so the Cardinals were able to nab him in the 11th round. After sitting out last summer, he finally made his pro debut in 2008, finishing second in the NY-P with 22 saves in 24 chances. He had the best arm and the best pure stuff in the league. One scout rated Reifer's fastball as an 80 pitch on the 20-80 scouting scale, and said when his slider is on, it was at least a 70. His fastball sits around 96-97 mph and tops out at 99, though it dips to 93-95 when he pitches on back-to-back days. He throws his slider at 90-93 mph with tilt. Every once in a while, he mixes in a good changeup at 86-87. Reifer has an athletic 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame and a good delivery without a lot of effort. He attacks hitters with his fastball and has the stuff and mentality to close in the majors.
