Adam Frazier and Bryan Reynolds are All-Stars. Not the kind of All-Stars that are there because they’re popular, but rather because they actually deserve to be there.
Frazier is batting .324 with 105 hits, 28 RBI, four home runs and an OPS of .855.
Reynolds is batting .307 with 91 hits, 46 RBI, 15 home runs and an OPS of .922.
So what is their secret? Keep it simple, stupid.
Talking to the PM Team before Tuesday’s game, Reynolds says he isn’t trying to hit a home run every time he comes up to bat.
Reynolds confirmed that he isn’t doing any of that launch angle, uppercut swinging or selling out on every pitch, something that has become popular with some players in the Majors.
The current average batting average in the Major Leagues is .240, that’s the lowest its been since the late 1960s. While some will blame pitching and possible cheating, things like launch angles and batting swinging for the fences every pitch are also a huge part of the batting problem.
That’s what makes guys like Frazier and Reynolds so good.
They’ve both said they ignore a lot of the current trends and ask Reynolds says he’s just trying to make contact.
And with that contact he’s hit 15 home runs and while that won’t win him any home run titles, it’s a big reason he has those 46 RBI.
“I’m not in the box trying to hit a homer or anything, I’m trying to get ready early, see the ball and just touch it with my barrel and I feel like if I do that I have a good chance to hit it hard and drive it somewhere and sometimes those go over the wall,” said Reynolds.
It’s not a surprise that both Frazier and Reynolds are having their best seasons in the MLB so far.
Reynolds says that he and Frazier talk during the game frequently.
“We talk during the game about what we’ve been seeing from that pitcher,” said Reynolds. “I feel like we do have similar approaches, we’re not out there trying to . . . drop and drive and do all that kind of stuff, we both get ready, get our foot down early and try to throw the barrel at it.
Reynolds adds that even now he will still get tempted to “do too much” but says he’s at his best when he just goes for contact.