Mark Reynolds

2013

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2012

Reynolds does one thing, and he does it very well: power. The third baseman socked 30 home runs for the third straight year, checking in at 37 in a very down offensive year for third basemen. Unfortunately, all that swinging for the fences yields loads of strikeouts (31.6 percent of his at-bats), and all those strikeouts severely limit his batting average. He finished at .221 in 2011, just 17 points below his career mark. Look for more of the same in 2012 - great power numbers, but with an almost certain drain in the batting average category.

2011

Reynolds failed to break his own single-season strikeout record (223), but he eclipsed the 200-whiff mark for the third consecutive season while hacking his way to a .198 average thanks to a 58 percent contact rate and surprisingly low .262 BABIP. Fortunately, there is at least some silver lining in that he was playing hurt throughout the season as a lingering quad injury, hand and wrist ailments, as well a concussion limited him at various points last season. We have to think that the leg injury in particular limited his prowess on the basepaths, especially since five of his seven steals came before the All-Star break. Traded to Baltimore during the offseason, Reynolds should continue to collect everyday at-bats in a good hitter's park, making him a 40-homer threat and likely one that will come at a discount on draft day given the batting average risk he presents.

2010

Reynolds swatted a career-high 44 homers in what turned out to be one of the league's most impressive breakout performances last season. Few players in baseball have the ability to match his raw power, but that comes at the expense of a lot of strikeouts as Reynolds whiffed an MLB-record 223 times in 2009. Among qualified hitters, Reynolds' 61 percent contact rate was the worst by a significant margin, so his average could slide back into the .240 range if he doesn't improve his approach. Further, it's unlikely that he'll be given the constant green light en route to another 20-plus steals, after a surprising 24-swipe effort last season. Fortunately, Reynolds is just 26 years old, so slight improvement isn't out of the question, but there's a lot of risk here for what you'll need to pay for him on draft day.

2009

Reynolds finished the 2008 season with a .239/.320/.458 line along with 28 homers and 97 RBI in 539 at-bats. He became more active on the basepaths, finishing with 11 stolen bases after going without a steal as a rookie in 2007. The D-Backs are considering moving Reynolds to second base in 2009, which would significantly boost his fantasy value -- think Dan Uggla territory -- if that switch comes to fruition. His low average doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon, however, as Reynolds set the major league strikeout record in 2008 by whiffing once in every 2.64 at-bats. Even in leagues that utilize on-base percentage rather than batting average, Reynolds is a risky proposition, but his .329 BABIP was the lowest of any season during his professional career, so he's shouldn't be as much of a liability in those areas going forward.

2008

Reynolds seized his opportunity to get regular at-bats with Chad Tracy in and out of the lineup with various ailments last season. Bouts of inconsistency had those on the bandwagon tearing their hair out at times, but the end results weren't bad for a 23-year-old rookie. The greatest problem in his skill set right now is the apparent hole in his lumber, as Reynolds fanned 129 times in 366 big-league at-bats (2.8 AB/K). We're not advocates of relying on a .386 BABIP number either, but there's not too much disparity between that and Reynolds' totals in the minors. Given his power and the possibility of a move to second base down the road, tread with cautious optimism on draft day and hope that he begins to make more contact.