MILWAUKEE -- In the second inning of the Pirates' loss to the Brewers on Monday, Milwaukee left fielder Tyrone Taylor launched what looked to be an RBI double to the left-center gap. Bryan Reynolds got a perfect jump on the ball, however, and made the grab to keep the game scoreless.
Three innings later, with Taylor once again at the plate, Reynolds showed off his glove work by tracking down a liner in shallow center and making a sliding grab for the first out of the bottom of the fifth.
Both plays had a catch probability of 70 percent, which gives the 26-year-old Reynolds 11 three-star catches (51-75 percent probability) on the season, per Baseball Savant.
“I knew, obviously, that he was an extremely good hitter, but since I've been here, just in the three games that I've seen, he's one of if not the most underrated center fielders in baseball, in my opinion,” said Bryse Wilson after making the start in his Pirates debut. “Just the ground that he covers, the acrobatic catches he can make. It's definitely a good feeling as a pitcher to have somebody like that out there.”
If it feels as if Reynolds is doing something similar just about every day, it’s because he pretty much is.
The two catches followed highlight-worthy plays Reynolds made in consecutive days. On Sunday, Reynolds tracked a deep fly ball from Phillies second baseman Jean Segura. As he closed in on the center-field wall, Reynolds leaped and secured the ball before hitting the wall, earning a tip of the helmet from Segura.
That catch followed an even more improbable catch Reynolds on Saturday.
In the third inning, Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola hit a liner off JT Brubaker to shallow center. But Reynolds tracked the ball right off the bat and made the inning-ending diving grab. The catch had a 45 percent outfield catch probability, which gave Reynolds his sixth four-star catch of the season. According to Baseball Savant, that’s still tied with the Rays’ Manuel Margot for the most four-star catches in the Majors heading into Tuesday.
Reynolds spent the majority of his first two years in the big leagues bouncing around the outfield, then started this season as the everyday left fielder. It wasn’t until April 22 that Reynolds got his first start in center field for Pittsburgh (though much of it did come from the need for better production at the position).
Since the move, Reynolds hasn’t looked back. As he’s manned center field for the last three-plus months, Reynolds has totaled seven outs above average. Per Baseball Savant, that has him in a five-way tie among qualified center fielders with Kansas City’s Michael A. Taylor, Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins and Tampa Bay’s Brett Phillips and Kevin Kiermaier.
Along with his established hitting prowess (.304/.386/.517 slash, 18 home runs and 58 RBIs this season, going into Tuesday), his improvements in center and the highlights he continually produces provide plenty of evidence that Reynolds could be a fit at the position for the future.
“He continues to play well out there, he continues to make plays,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He's worked very hard to get better reads and jumps, and I think he just continues to prove to us that he's a very good Major League center fielder.”
Ashcraft undergoes Tommy John surgery
Braxton Ashcraft, the No. 22 prospect in the Pirates organization per MLB Pipeline, recently had Tommy John surgery. He was placed on the 60-day injured list on July 27, and he shared a photo of himself post-surgery on his Instagram page on Monday, saying in the comments that he had torn his UCL.
Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed Ashcraft’s surgery. The typical recovery from the procedure would likely knock Ashcraft out for most of the 2022 season, at least.
Ashcraft was 1-1 with a 5.35 ERA in 10 starts for High-A Greensboro this season, and he struck out 41 batters while walking 12. He was Pittsburgh’s second-round pick in the 2018 Draft.
