Phillies prospect Felix Reyes is making an impression in Clearwater: ‘He can crush the ball’

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Felix Reyes always tries to maintain a positive outlook.

The 24-year-old Phillies prospect’s Instagram handle is the_positive26. It was partially inspired by a character in one of his favorite shows, the Colombian crime drama Surviving Escobar: Alias JJ, who would always say “el positivo.”

Reyes decided to adopt it as a mantra.

“I embraced it,” the Dominican said through a team interpreter. “So I just remain optimistic from that point onward. Watching that, I just tried to change my attitude, and I’ve just embraced that. And from that moment, always, everything I do, everywhere I go and everything I work in, I just go with that optimistic mindset. Just say that it will be done, and I will be ready for it, and we’ll get the results.”

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Over the last year, Reyes has seen plenty of results, and he believes his mindset is a main reason. After posting a .243 batting average and .656 OPS at high-A Jersey Shore in 2024, he had a breakout minor league season in 2025. He won the Eastern League batting title at double-A Reading with a .335 average, and was also first in OPS (.937).

Reyes had a six-game taste of triple A at the end of the season following a late promotion. In 101 games combined in 2025, he hit 16 homers.

“I worked really hard over the offseason to get ready for last year,” Reyes said. “So I was just ready to go, and I was ready for whatever they needed from me. ... But last year is in the past already. This is a new year. This is a new season. So I’m just focused on this year, and we’re just focusing on getting the same results. Trying to enjoy the experience.”

Reyes, at 6-foot-3, has a ton of raw power. He was extended a nonroster invite to major league spring training, and has continued to mash. He has hit .333 with three homers in 17 games. He was reassigned to minor league camp on Wednesday.

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“He can crush the ball,” said Bryan De La Cruz, who was Reyes’ teammate in the Dominican Winter League on the Toros del Este.

Said manager Rob Thomson: “Every time he swings the bat, it’s on the barrel.”

In his first big league camp, Reyes is taking the opportunity to learn as much as he can from the major leaguers around him.

“Every moment that I’ve been in this camp is around big leaguers, and that’s where I want to be,” Reyes said. “That’s where you want to be as a player. So I just think it’s trying to share time with them, spend time with them, learn about them, learn about the experience that they bring. Embrace the good advice that they give us.”

There remains a question mark about Reyes’ defense. Last season, he split his time between first base, third base, and corner outfield positions for Reading and Lehigh Valley. He has primarily played first base during spring training, but he also made two appearances in left.

Thomson believes his defense is improving.

“He’s a lot more athletic and he’s faster than people give him credit for, and he handles himself very well in left field,” Thomson said. “His first base play has improved greatly. He’s really under control, and he never gets sped up, it seems to me. So he’s a pretty impressive kid.”

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But Reyes’ right-handed power is ultimately his most valuable asset for the Phillies.

During Monday’s game against Detroit, Reyes went 3-for-4, including a three-run home run off Tigers starter Jack Flaherty that was 107.1 mph off the bat. He later crushed a single off Flaherty even harder, clocking a 110.7 mph exit velocity.

Seeing results off an established major league pitcher like Flaherty have helped build Reyes’ confidence, he said. That was something he had discussed with De La Cruz at the game.

“We were talking about confidence, and what can come from being confident in yourself when you’re out there playing,” De La Cruz said. “And how good that can be.”