Ryjeteri Merite 6/5/26

Impressive look at Cincinnati Reds LHP Ryjeteri Merite last week. Netherlands native – also represented the team in WBC. Live-armed lefty with mid-90s heat and a plus now breaking ball. Dominating ACL hitters on the strength of his breaker, even when he throws it predictably/often. Low 80s breaker sharp/tight big late depth and more of a chase pitch but also landed it over the plate for strikes. Less confident about in zone utility against better hitters. Not fine in the zone but the SI/SL combo was overpowering. Big leg kick and lot of torque to the delivery with big hip rotation. Plus arm speed and athletic burst to home. Will vary timing and either quick pitch or delay stride to mess with hitters. Strides closed and gets some natural cut life on 4SM. SI/SL gets a combination of weak contact and sw/m. CHG showed potential as ground ball generator. Not sure I see an arsenal with enough wrinkles to turn over a better lineup 3x, and the biggest threat to SP status is strike throwing ability. Do not see an obvious mechanics issue to correct. Already too many non-competitive misses vs overmatched competition. Lean body through extremities but thicker through hips and shoulders. Believe he will continue to add strength in a way that reminds of Abner Uribe. Listed 6’3” 150, probably 180-185 now. Torn on SP/RP future. Excellent stuff but corners with strike throwing. Develop as a starter and see obvious pen fallback. Chance at leverage pen frames going full throttle if he can't stick - suspect there are more ticks in the tank, and he could settle something like 95-97.