 He was selected 17th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.A promising minor league prospect early on, Reames had an impressive 1996 season with single-A Peoria, Reames was named St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year when finished with 15 wins and a 1.90 ERA.However, he sat out the 1997 and 1998 seasons while he recovered from Tommy John surgery.