Reynolds Looking to Continue Rookie Year Pace in 2020


As we await the start of the 2020 MLB season due to CoronaVirus concerns, we will take a look at every player on the Pirates roster and outline what they will bring to the table and projections for the 2020 season. I hope this brings some positive reading to the current situation and helps us all as we wait for baseball.

Before the 2020 season, not many people had probably heard of the name Bryan Reynolds. He was the second piece of the Andrew McCutchen trade that brought Kyle Crick and Reynolds to Pittsburgh. Not many thought that highly of Reynolds at the time because he was just a class A outfielder who was hitting .312 with the San Jose Giants. By the end of April 2019 Reynolds was in the Major Leagues after the collision that sent Starling Marte and Erik Gonzalez to the injured list.

Reynolds rise through the Major Leagues took just three years and he saw success at each level of the Minor Leagues. He hit over .300 each season and used his above average speed to get on base. He wasn't showing much raw power and some questioned whether this would make him a good everyday player or more of a role player in his career. Before his call up to the Majors last season, Reynolds was hitting .367 with five home runs and 11 RBI in just 13 games played.

He came up to the Major Leagues and took off right from the getgo. He got at least one hit in each of his first 11 games and was hitting .417 after those first 11 games but only had one home run and 11 RBI. He eventually found his power stroke, hitting four home runs in May, and became a mainstay near the top of the Pirates lineup. As the all-star break came around, Reynolds was being considered for a spot in the 2019 All-Star Game but just fell short in the voting. He would end the year tied for 9th in the MLB hitting .314 (t-4th among outfielders) while hitting 16 home runs and driving in 68 RBI.

Reynolds came up to the Major Leagues swinging and that was one of the things that helped lead to his success. He had a hard hit percentage of 41.7% and an expected batting average of .296, which ranked in the top 10% of the league. Reynolds very rarely chased a pitch out of the zone, chasing 28.1% of the time, allowing him to wait for his pitch and do as much damage as possible. Because of this, he was swinging at more pitches in the zone and was able to ramp up that hard hit percentage when he saw a pitch that he liked.

It seemed like Reynolds could do no wrong at the plate in 2019, and that showed in his success against different types of pitches. Reynolds did the most damage against the fastball, which he saw 55.9% of the time, hitting .341 with 14 of his 16 home runs. He had similar success against off-speed pitches hitting .297 with five doubles. He may not be generating the power he does against the fastball, but the ability to get on base is still there no matter what pitch he faces. 

Reynolds hit all over the Pirates lineup last season, but found the most success in the number two hole, which will probably be his spot again in 2020. As a two hole hitter, he hit .305 with ten home runs and 52 RBI and found a home behind leadoff hitter Kevin Newman. Reynolds also has experience in the leadoff spot where he hit .308 in 104 at bats with two home runs and 10 RBI. Reynolds is once again penciled in at the top of the Pirates lineup and will be trying to get on base and drive in runs ahead of the middle of the Pirates order.

Defensively, Reynolds showed he has the ability to play top notch defense at all three outfield positions. He committed just four errors total in 2019, including comitting no errors in center field. He had 237 putouts and four assists as he manned the biggest part of the Pirates outfield. He played 79 games in left field, 31 in right, and 25 in center last season. He was the top defensive outfielder for the Pirates last season leading the team with two outs above average. He tied with Starling Marte in that category and helped man the 410 gap in left-center.

For his efforts, Reynolds found himself in the running for the National League Rookie of the Year award. He received nine vote points and ended up finishing fourth behing Pete Alonso (NYM), Mike Soroka (ATL), and Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD). Award or not, Reynolds was still one of the top outfielders in the league and will hopefully be a fixture in the Pirates lineup for years to come. The Pirates are in talks with the 25-year old on an extension and, if he continues his success, it will be money well spent for the Bucs.

Prediction: .309, 19 HR, 77 RBI

I feel Bryan Reynolds will continue his success in 2020 hitting in the number two hole once again. Reynolds has had success at every level of the Minor league and I think that will continue into his second season. I for one am hoping the Pirates can reach an agreement with Reynolds to keep him in Pittsburgh for years to come. He will once again be manning left field and, with a faster partner in Jarrod Dyson in center, his defense will be right back where it was in 2019.

As of now, the season is expected to begin somewhere around May 25th. Until then, we will continue to look at the men who make up this year's team and their contributions in 2020.

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