Pirates Adam Frazier, Bryan Reynolds realize childhood dreams with 1st All-Star appearance

When the Pittsburgh Pirates visited the Colorado Rockies last month, Bryan Reynolds couldn’t help but notice that the All-Star Game would be played at Coors Field.

The Pirates center fielder saw a poster of Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout promoting the event and wondered whether his next trip to Colorado would be as a member of the National League All-Stars.

“I saw Trout’s face on one of the posters, looked at it and thought, ‘Oh, wow, the All-Star Game is here,’ ” Reynolds said. “Yeah, it crossed my mind. I didn’t want to give it too much, in case I wasn’t there. But it crossed my mind.”

The Pirates went from not having an All-Star on their roster to having two, when Adam Frazier was voted the National League’s starting second baseman and Reynolds was selected a reserve outfielder.

National League manager Dave Roberts revealed on Monday that Reynolds will start in center field and bat eighth — followed by Frazier in the 9-hole — after Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a season-ending injury.

Frazier and Reynolds will become the first Pirates position players to start an All-Star Game together since Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke in 1992.

To Reynolds, the idea of playing in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic still was a childhood dream on his last visit to Colorado. Now, Reynolds dreams of a conversation he can have with a child — his young son, Reese.

“It’s crazy. It’s crazy enough to be in the MLB playing and get to go to an All-Star Game and be a part of it,” Reynolds said. “It’s kind of wild. You’re going to have a little star on your Baseball-Reference page. So I’ll be able to point to that and say, ‘See Reese, I used to be good. I was a good ballplayer.’ I’ll at least have one.”

After the Pirates concluded their weekend series at the New York Mets, manager Derek Shelton encouraged Frazier and Reynolds to have fun in Denver and soak up the experience of rubbing elbows with the best players in baseball while sharing the game’s biggest stage.

“Two guys that are really deserving. They should be in the All-Star game,” Shelton said. “The fact that Frazier’s a starter is awesome. Bryan’s been outstanding. He’s one of the top hitters in the National League. So for us as a group and me personally, I think it’s really cool. … When you look around that room, you’re going to see some All-Stars. Those two guys deserve to be in that room.”

Frazier leads the major leagues with 115 hits and 388 plate appearances, and his .330 batting average and 26 doubles both rank third in the majors and second in the NL. Reynolds ranks fourth in the NL with 96 hits and is slashing .302/.387/.519 with 21 doubles, 16 home runs and 51 RBIs.

Growing up in the Southeast, both players were big fans of Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones and rooted for the National League in the All-Star Game. Frazier reminisced about how his father reminded him that it was a goal when he became a starting second baseman for the Pirates, one that Frazier pursued with a passion.

“As a little kid, you’re dreaming of being an All-Star, so that’s really a dream-come-true situation,” Frazier said. “And, if I believe it as a little kid, then I’m not going to forget about it, and that’s something I’ve always strived for.”

The accompanying fanfare will be new for the Pirates’ All-Star duo, as this will be their first taste of playing with the best in the game. For Reynolds, it’s mind blowing to think that one day he was staring at a sign with Trout on it and, a few weeks later, will have one of his own.

“Not looking at it like my face will be on that — which it won’t be,” Reynolds said before realizing that every All-Star gets star treatment. “Maybe. I don’t care if my face is anywhere. I’ll just be happy to be there.”