Pirates A to Z: Bryan Reynolds vows to rediscover his swing after sophomore slump

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Anthony Alford to pitcher Nik Turley.

Bryan Reynolds

Position: Outfielder

Bats/Throws: Both/Right

Age: 25

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 205 pounds

2020 MLB statistics: Batted .189/.275/.357 with six doubles, seven home runs and 19 RBIs in 55 games.

Contract: Not yet eligible for arbitration.

Acquired: Traded by San Francisco Giants, along with pitcher Kyle Crick, in exchange for Andrew McCutchen in January, 2018.

This past season: Pirates manager Derek Shelton had a recurring response for every time he was asked about Bryan Reynolds struggling at the plate: “This kid’s been hitting since he was born. I mean, it doesn’t take someone that’s overly smart or knows hitting to realize that this guy is going to hit.”

Problem is, Reynolds didn’t.

After establishing himself as a consistent hitter by leading the Pirates in batting average (.314), on-base percentage (.377) and tied for the team lead in doubles (37) as a rookie, Reynolds started 0 for 13 and never could get his timing down. He finished with the second-worst batting average among Pirates starters, behind Gregory Polanco, and third-most strikeouts (57), behind Polanco and Josh Bell.

The Pirates were counting on Reynolds’ bat from both sides of the plate to give a boost to both Polanco and Bell in the batting order, but he batted .083 (2 for 24) in the first seven games. Reynolds got only two hits in 50 plate appearances while batting second or third in the order before being dropped to the five-hole, where he hit .247 in 24 games.

“I don’t think that’s a clear representation of how I am as a player,” Reynolds said in late September. “It’s a short season. I’m not harping on it overly too much. But I’m definitely not pleased with it.”

?Who says you can't go home? ?

...Bryan Reynolds. pic.twitter.com/YjTZopeANY

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 29, 2020

Reynolds had his moments, especially in the outfield. He had five assists, throwing Milwaukee Brewers runners out at the plate in back-to-back games in late July. And he made a memorable return from paternity leave after the birth of his son, Reese, hitting a double and a three-run home run in a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 3.

Bryan Reynolds just hit a double in his first plate appearance since returning from the paternity list after the birth of his first child.

Then he did this new-dad celebration! ? pic.twitter.com/S43QYbUsow

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 3, 2020

“I mean, I wanted to have a good season, play well on both sides of the ball and help us win,” Reynolds said. “And I think I played decent defense and my offense was terrible.”

If there is a silver lining, it’s that Reynolds got a late-season audition in center field after the Pirates traded Jarrod Dyson and Anthony Alford suffered a season-ending elbow injury. It’s possible the Pirates could make the move from left to center a permanent one, though they weren’t willing to commit to that just yet.

Bryan Reynolds, Part ✌️.#ROYnolds pic.twitter.com/A4rm22tlBN

— Pirates (@Pirates) September 5, 2019

“I want to play center field,” Reynolds said. “I really like center. I just think you get better reads, see better, and I really enjoy playing out there.”

And he also got a look as a leadoff batter, hitting .222 with two doubles, a home run and two RBIs in five games.

But Reynolds wasn’t looking for silver linings after a season that was so disappointing and such a drastic drop-off from his first year with the Pirates, when he was their most consistent hitter.

“I might have put a little too much pressure on myself because I knew it was a shortened season, and I might have thought I didn’t have time to have a slump,” Reynolds said. “And so I had one the whole season instead. That’s something to learn from.”

The future: Reynolds vowed to work on his swing this offseason, in an effort to rediscover his timing.

Shelton’s confidence in Reynolds never wavered.

“Reynolds is gonna hit,” Shelton said. “I mean, he had a difficult year with 200 plate appearances. This kid has hit at every level. I know I said this all year long, but no expectations that he’s not going to hit next year.”

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington echoed that sentiment, giving the impression that Reynolds is one of the young players the Pirates will build around, along with third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and pitcher Mitch Keller. Reynolds isn’t eligible for arbitration until 2022.

“There’s too much history there and too much good stuff still happening under the hood with Bryan,” Cherington said. “He’s moving well. He’s healthy. He’s young. A lot of confidence that he’s going to be not just a good player but an important part of what we’re building.”