Bryan Reynolds

After a disappointing 2020 season, Reynolds bounced back in a major way. Reynolds and Juan Soto were the only two hitters in 2021 with a batting average north of .300 to go along with more than 90 runs, 90 RBI, 20 homers and five steals. Both his strikeouts (18.4 K%) and BABIP (.345) improved. While he has just been in the league for three seasons, Reynolds has developed a good, not great profile. He's not a zero in any one category, but fantasy managers are always looking for more than roughly 25 homers and five stolen bases. His walk rate jumped to a career-high 11.6% as pitchers no longer throw him fastballs (49% to 46% to 44%). As a switch hitter, he's been better against righties (.874 OPS), but not a drag against lefties (.817 OPS). His near-.300 average is the key for his fantasy value. We saw in 2020 what the downside looks like, but at the same time, there aren't any obvious holes in his game.

Reynolds was red-hot upon arrival in 2019, slashing .314/.377/.503 across 546 PA with the Pirates and finishing fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year vote. Cold water rained down in the form of a .189/.275/.357 slash line in his sophomore season. His strikeout rate shot up to 27.4% in 2020 and most of the batted-ball numbers provide little reason optimism, although Reynolds did up his barrel rate to a respectable 10,2% while also improving his walk rate to 10.1%. The Pirates need to determine which version of Reynolds is real; is it the three-plus win outfielder or something closer to the replacement-level player we saw in 2020? He does not seem to have many fans left in fantasy -- we can be fickle creatures -- but it makes sense that most find it tough to get excited considering the team context and lack of speed.

Reynolds, who was acquired from the Giants in the Andrew McCutchen trade, opened the season with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he hit .367 with five homers in 13 games before getting called up to the majors to replace the injured Starling Marte. The outfielder kept on hitting following his promotion, kicking off his big-league career with an 11-game hitting streak and finishing the season with a .314/.377/.503 triple-slash and 16 homers in 546 plate appearances. While Reynolds struggled down the stretch (.230 AVG in September), showed platoon splits (.756 OPS vs. LHP, .931 OPS vs. RHP) and ultimately benefitted from a .387 BABIP, the underlying numbers largely support his breakout. He isn't a flashy pick, but the switch hitter provides a nice floor thanks to his strong batting average and placement near the top of Pittsburgh's lineup -- he primarily hit second last year, which led to 83 runs.

Reynolds was one of the surprises of the draft. Pegged as a clear first-round talent, he fell to the Giants at pick 59, receiving an over-slot $1.35 million bonus. He lived up to his billing as a quality hitter, particularly with short-season Salem-Keizer (141 wRC+), but after getting promoted to Low-A Augusta in August, some strikeout issues began to surface. A 30.3 percent strikeout rate and 4.5 percent walk rate would not be overly alarming for a prep hitter getting his first taste of pro ball, but it was less excusable for a bat-first player from the SEC. His 124 wRC+ in a small sample at Low-A looks solid, but a .452 BABIP was largely to blame for his success there. Reynolds is destined for left field, as he lacks the tools and instincts for center field and lacks the arm for right field. This means he will have to really hit in the coming years while also improving his approach. There's a 20-homer/20-steal left fielder here if you squint hard enough, and that's enough to warrant ownership in leagues where 200 prospects are rostered.