PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He is the player the organization tells its young players about. They send videos to the minor leaguers and tell their developing talent to watch Bryan Reynolds and everything he does. Stands to reason that would reward him with the richest contract in Pirates history, as first reported by the Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton wouldn’t confirm the eight-year, $106 million contract when making his weekly appearance on the Cook and Joe Show on Tuesday. Shelton, who has coached him for most of his five-year career, did say about how his teammates feel about Reynolds.
“I think with a ton of respect,” Shelton told Ron Cook and Joe Starkey on 93.7 The Fan. “When your best player plays the way he does every game & goes about it every game. That’s respect and I think Bryan has that in our clubhouse.”
“He shows up every day to play. He’s the same guy, he’s intense and driven. Every day he gives everything he’s got.”
“Just being around him, he’s making us better hitters,” teammate Connor Joe said earlier this month. “Watching him go through his day, go about his work, prepare for the games. It’s helping me. It takes the pressure off us to know that someone like that is in the lineup continually producing for us. It’s special what he’s doing. I’m admiring it for sure.”
“Keep doing what he’s doing,” said Pirates legend Andrew McCutchen. “It’s been fun to watch thus far in the season. Shows the type of special player that he is. He’s shown that pretty early this year and he’s shown it in the past. So, he’s a lot of fun to watch when I’m seeing him out there. It’s great.”
Now 28-years-old, has Reynolds peaked? He’s signed the richest extension of any outfielder drafted out of college. Is there still room for the former Vanderbilt University star to improve?
“He has room to grow,” Shelton said on the Cook and Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan. “He continues to get better. We’ve seen him get better the last three years.”
“There are always things he’s working to improve on. The one thing about him being a switch-hitter there is a lot of work that goes into the offensive part of the game. He’s done a nice job transitioning to left field.”
“There is definitely still room for growth and we are excited about Bryan Reynolds being a Pirate.”
The contract talks became too public for the team’s liking, but in the end they were able to lock up someone who is more than just a player, but an example of what they want Pirates baseball to look like.