Bryan Reynolds Just Keeps Rolling Through June

Aside from the hitting clinic that Adam Frazier has put on this season, Bryan Reynolds has found a home consistently in the three spot of the order. The outfielder continued his strong June with a 3-4 night last night as he stays strong during the month of June.

All season long, Adam Frazier has been the Pirates getting the most praise for his hitting ability, and rightfully so. He currently leads the National League with a .341 batting average and is the Major League Baseball hit leader. However, he has found a partner in crime at the top of the batting order during the month of June. Bryan Reynolds has been one of the hottest hitters not only for the Pirates but across the National League in the month of June. After a 3-4 night last night, Reynolds leads the Pirates with a .357 batting average in June with five of his 13 home runs and 15 of his 42 RBI. He is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak and is making a case to be the National League Player of the month.

With the MLB All-Star game looming just 17 days away, Reynolds may just be carving out his spot on the roster. He along with Frazier and Ke'Bryan Hayes have combined to be one of the top 1-2-3 batters in the league. Frazier and Hayes are setting the table, and it is Reynolds who has bared the fruits of that labor. A prime example was in last night's game when he drove in five of his team's right runs, including a crucial three-run home run. He seemingly stepped to the plate with runners on base every time, and he just puts bat on the ball and makes things happen. Today, we look at Reynolds' big month of June as he makes his case for a 2021 MLB All-Star game selection, and looks to keep it rolling through the rest of the season.

When You're Hot You're Hot

Pittsburgh Pirates announcer Greg Brown summed up Reynolds' June success pretty well after his third and final hit of the night last night saying, "when you're hot you're hot." That has been the mantra for Reynolds this month, as he is third among National League hitters with a .357 batting average during June. Entering June, Reynolds was having a solid bounce-back season hitting .286 with seven home runs and 23 RBI. However, he has taken his game to a whole new level this month, matching or exceeding all those numbers in June. In his first 20 games of June, Reynolds is hitting .357 with five home runs and 15 RBI. In the process, he has gotten into the batting title race and enters play on Friday with the fifth-highest batting average in baseball at .313.

The thing that really got him going in June is this current nine-game hitting streak that he has been on. The streak started on June 14th, and during this current stretch, Reynolds has hit an impressive .472 (17-36) with three home runs and 11 RBI. During the streak, he has had a total of seven multi-hit games and has racked up six extra-base hits, for a 35.3% extra-base hit rate. One thing that has led to more success for Reynolds is the success of the teammates around him. Since Ke'Bryan Hayes and Colin Moran have gotten back in the lineup, Reynolds has had some protection around him, and as a result, is getting better pitches to hit. He is also seen more traffic on the basepaths when he comes to the plate this season, and that is an area he has succeeded in, especially this season.

When the Pirates have runners in scoring position this year, Reynolds is usually the guy they want at the plate. He is second on the Pirates behind Adam Frazier with a .338 batting average with runners in scoring position this season with 23 RBI. Last night, Reynolds had several chances with runners in scoring position and came through throughout the night. His biggest blow was in the fourth inning with Chad Kuhl and Ke'Bryan Hayes on base with two outs after Hayes avoided a double play. Reynolds would make the Cardinals pay with his team-high 13th home run of the season giving the Pirates five runs in the game. It has been a big month and a big stretch of success for Reynolds, and he tries to keep it going all season long.

Reynolds Moving Forward

At just 26-years-old, Bryan Reynolds has a very bright future in a Pirates uniform, and will most likely be a part of the next core to bring a winning team to Pittsburgh. Reynolds is under team control until at least the 2026 season, but hopefully, the Pirates can keep him beyond that. Throughout his pro baseball career, Reynolds has always shown he can hit and is beginning to show that last season was just a fluke. In the short term, Reynolds has his eyes on the first MLB All-Star game appearance of his career, and he is making a compelling case. He ranks fifth in the National League with a .313 batting average and is currently in the top 20 in the league in both home runs (13) and RBI (42).

Because Reynolds is a very low-key guy, he usually flies under the radar but has always been a consistent player. His stats alone make the 2018 Andrew McCutchen trade a win for the Pirates. In his first three seasons in a Pirates uniform, Reynolds has not only marched his predecessor's numbers but exceeded them. Over his first three years with the Pirates, Reynolds has hit .286 with 36 home runs and 129 RBI. He is on pace to have the best season of his young career to this point, as he is three home runs and 10 RBI away from setting new career-highs in both categories and he currently is one tick off from his career-high .314 average back in 2019. 

Bryan Reynolds is a piece the Pirates should be able to build around in the upcoming years. He, along with Ke'Bryan Hayes, are the two biggest untouchables this trade deadline in my opinion. The Pirates have already begun negotiations for long-term deals with both players and, even if they don't sign, Reynolds is under team control until 2026 and Hayes until 2027. Both fall right in the timeline of when the Pirates are expected to be good again in 2023 to 2025. I wasn't alone for it, but Reynolds and Hayes remind me of young Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla in the early 80s from stories I read. Both are young premiere talents that the Pirates can keep and build a winner around, like they did in 1990, 1991, and 1992. We will have to wait and see what Reynold's future holds in a Pirates uniform, but for now, he is a fun young player to watch.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (27-46) look to take two-in-a-row from the St. Louis Cardinals (36-39) when they play game two tonight at 8:15 pm. Wil Crowe (0-4, 6.42) is on the mound still looking for that first Major League win after back-to-back strong outings as he faces Kwang Hyun Kim (1-5, 3.60) for the Cardinals. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan.