PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The starting centerfielder for the National League in the 2021 All-Star Game says he will consider a long-term contract extension to stay with the Pirates.
“I’ve been saying all year I like Pittsburgh,” Bryan Reynolds said Thursday. “I like the staff. I like the players. I like the city. Yeah, I like it here. So yeah.”
Reynolds is flirting with hitting .300 for the second time in his career. The 26-year-old is top 20 in several MLB stats. Here are the offensive categories Reynolds leads the Pirates regulars as he was voted the Roberto Clemente Award winner as the team MVP.
· Hits by 52
· Doubles by 12
· Triples by 4
· Home Runs by 14
· RBI by 36
· Walks by 27
· Average by 41
Reynolds, who came to the Pirates from the Giants in the Andrew McCutchen trade, is under team control until 2026. Two of the three years in the majors have been outstanding. The cost for a switch-hitting, power outfielder won’t get any cheaper.
“The thing I appreciate the most is accountability,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “The second thing is this guy plays harder than anyone in baseball.”
“I’ll give you a perfect example. (Monday) in Cincinnati we did not play well. That’s obvious. He hits a ball in the gap in a game we are down and if you watch the replay of it. He’s going for third. Joey holds Yoshi (Tsutsugo) at third, Brian Reynolds is busting his ass. He’s going to third in a game he could have taken a double. That’s the culture I’m talking about. When your best player every night plays like that. That’s the thing that stands out.”
“My leadership style has always been by how you play, not really talking so much,” Reynolds said. “I feel I’ve grown as a player.”
Reynolds also made a position change. A shortstop growing up, Reynolds asked to move to center after Anthony Alford and Dustin Fowler struggled early. Reynolds routinely makes highlight plays in his new position. He has a .994 fielding percentage in over 1,120 innings this season.
“I was a little resistant to him moving to centerfield just because of how good he was in left,” said Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings. “He’s been as good as it gets out there. He should get MVP votes this year. Anytime you say that I think it says all you need to say about a player.”
“He’s as good as it gets. He’s a special player. He’s been phenomenal. He’s a borderline superstar player. I’m glad he’s on our team.”
That’s a lot of praise that Reynolds doesn’t let get to his head. He just plays hard every night, no matter the score. No matter the team record.
“The thing that stands out to me is how hard Bryan Reynolds plays on a nightly basis as much as he plays,” Shelton said. “He impacts the game in a ton of ways. I think we’ve seen him get better. He just continues to play well.”
“That’s why he was the starting centerfielder for the All-Star team.”
Will he continue to star in Pittsburgh going forward? An extension needs to be on the top of GM Ben Cherington’s to do list.
