Pirates All 40: Only One Thing Missing for Bryan Reynolds

This is one in a series of stories breaking down members of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.

Ever since making his MLB debut in 2019, Bryan Reynolds has been the Pittsburgh Pirates’ best offensive player.

Reynolds finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year race in his first season after hitting .314 with an .880 OPS, 37 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs and 68 RBIs in 134 games.

After a horrid season in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Reynolds posted the best season of his career in 2021, finishing with a .302 average and a career-best .912 OPS. The switch hitter roped 35 doubles, led the league with eight triples, hit 24 home runs and drove in a career-high 90 RBIs. Reynolds was named an All-Star for the first time that year and finished 11th in the MVP race.

Reynolds had another strong showing in 2022, and in the early portion of the 2023 season, he was rewarded with a franchise record-breaking contract extension. Reynolds signed an eight-year deal to remain in Pittsburgh for $106.75 million, the richest deal in team history. The contract also came with a club option for the 2031 season.

Though Reynolds’ numbers were a bit down in 2023 from where they had been, the 29-year-old rebounded with a strong 2024.

For the second time in his career, Reynolds was named a National League All-Star. He was one of two players representing the Pirates alongside Paul Skenes, who started on the mound for the Senior Circuit in Arlington, Texas.

Reynolds finished the year with a healthy .275/.344/.447 batting line with 29 doubles, three triples, 24 home runs, 88 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 156 games. He led the Pirates in games, runs, hits, home runs, RBIs and batting average.

The biggest story of Reynolds’ season was a massive 25-game hitting streak that lasted for most of June.

Defensively, the fielding metrics weren’t particularly kind to Reynolds, but he did lead baseball with 11 outfield assists. Some fielding woes over the past couple of years have raised speculation that Reynolds could see time at first base in 2025 and beyond.

At this point, it’s hard to argue that the contract the Pirates gave Reynolds hasn’t worked out. The one remaining goal for Reynolds to accomplish would be him helping Pittsburgh reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.

Background

• Reynolds was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2016 draft out of Vanderbilt University.
• The Pirates acquired Reynolds from the Giants along with Kyle Crick and international bonus money in 2018 for Andrew McCutchen and cash considerations.
• Reynolds finished fifth in the National League in 2024 with his 171 hits. He ranks first among National League outfielders with 822 hits since making his debut in 2019.
• Contract status: Reynolds will make $12.25 million in 2025, a raise of $2 million from last season.