The Cardinals\' top prospect entering both the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Baseball America named him the second-best prospect overall in their 2016 mid-season ranking. He has played in two All-Star Futures Games and was one of two Cardinals\' Co-Minor League Pitchers of the Year in 2015.\n', '

Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Tomás, Sr., and Dignora Reyes, Alexander Reyes is the youngest of three sons, including Tomás, Jr., and Adriel. While he was attending Elizabeth High School, he was 5\'11" [71 inches (180 cm)] and threw a maximum of 87 miles per hour (140 km/h). He lived in New Jersey until he was 18. With his family unable to afford to send him to showcases and tryouts, he moved to the Dominican Republic in December 2011. There, it would be much easier to gain the attention of scouts to increase his chances of signing with a Major League Baseball (MLB) team as a free agent rather than be selected through the amateur draft had he remained in the United States.\n', '

In the Dominican Republic, Reyes lived with each of his grandmothers in San Cristóbal, enabling him to gain residency and the notice of scouts, known colloquially as buscones. Shortstop Raúl A. Mondesí, the son of San Cristóbal mayor and former MLB outfielder Raúl Mondesí, worked out with Reyes and attracted the attention of a buscón known simply as Valera, who also noticed Reyes. Reyes tried out with Valera before St. Louis Cardinals scout Rodny Jiménez noticed him. The Cardinals observed Reyes work out in Palenque, of the Sabana Grande de Palenque municipality, near San Cristóbal, and invited him for a private workout in their team academy in Santo Domingo. At that point, he had reached speeds of up to 94 miles per hour (151 km/h). Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak commented that Reyes\' athleticism was one important factor that caused the team to consider the young pitcher. Because he had emigrated from the United States, MLB regulations stated that Reyes must wait one year to sign with an MLB franchise as an international free agent, delaying the Cardinals\' opportunity to sign him for six months. In December 2012, he signed a $950,000 deal with St. Louis.\n', '

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