Feeling better about Reynolds yet?

[scOtt]

I've never worried about Reynolds (maybe just a little far, far in the back of my head...) Always expected his numbers to rebound. Early when he was struggling, the few balls he caught showed the TREMENDOUS power he has. As the weather heats up I thought he was bound to get much better. And he already is.

Also, for the mixed reviews his defense got, -0.4 defensive WAR is just A-OK with me. Just below average (solid) player. And at the corners I don't demand excellence. Defense up the middle and the three run HR (at the corners.)

[DrungoHazewood]

I'm a little concerned because by all accounts he is absolutely awful on balls that he has to charge. We have a ground ball staff. Conceding an infield hit on weakly hit groundballs to 3B is a big problem. His fielding numbers reflect this (-9.8 UZR, -4 TZ, -16 DRS) and it makes him essentially a replacement level player despite being (barely) average with the bat.

Obviously if he continues to hit .190 and field like his UZR indicates this year that's not going to be acceptable performance. But his career fielding numbers are much better than what's indicated this year. His aggregate defensive rating on Fangraphs has him as a slightly below average fielder. There's good reason to hope his 1/3 of a season UZR is an anomaly.

[Frobby]

I was never too worried, but I am glad to see him start hitting the homers after a slow start in that department. I figured they would come, but I'm glad they have.

Games 1-37: 3 HR

Games 38-59: 6 HR

[jabba72]

I would lock up Reynolds whenever his FA starts up conceding the fact the Orioles will not be able to find a better replacement in FA, Or if they do find one, move him to DH, 1B or LF in place of Scott. We dont have many position players that hit HR's or draw walks. I think Reynolds can still slightly improve his average.

[Hallas]

Obviously if he continues to hit .190 and field like his UZR indicates this year that's not going to be acceptable performance. But his career fielding numbers are much better than what's indicated this year. His aggregate defensive rating on Fangraphs has him as a slightly below average fielder. There's good reason to hope his 1/3 of a season UZR is an anomaly.

I'm concerned because the O's have a lot of GB pitchers and the O's infield is slow, so the slow rollers that he fails at so hard are going to account for more failed defensive chances. Maybe not his fault or the result in a change in skill, but I just feel like our GB pitchers are set up to expose his defensive weaknesses.

[scOtt]

I would lock up Reynolds whenever his FA starts up conceding the fact the Orioles will not be able to find a better replacement in FA, Or if they do find one, move him to DH, 1B or LF in place of Scott. We dont have many position players that hit HR's or draw walks. I think Reynolds can still slightly improve his average.

He is pretty locked up. Next year and an option for 2013. And 1B is a good option for him. Let's the O's go after 2 possible positions instead of just one. Or Bell or Snyder or Mahoney could develop... (only half a joke.)

[crowmst3k!]

Reynolds is coming around, but is still work -.3 WAR.

By the end of it, probably 1-1.5WAR

Not exactly world beating from third base.

[LookinUp]

I was pretty down on him, feel better now, but remain unconvinced. I see how he fits into a lineup with a lot of producers around him. It's not clear that he's what the Orioles need though. Put another way...we need better production out of a couple of 1B, 2B, 3B, RF and LF. If the other positions improve, he can be a nice part of a decent lineup. The same could be said for others though.

By any measure except BA, his June has been nice. Keep that up over more than a 25-35 game stretch and I'll start to think I was more wrong.

[JTrea81]

He's showing that he's the #8 hitter we all thought he was. Poor BA, good pop and decent OBP.

[crissfan172]

I like Reynolds. He's walks a lot, hits home runs, and he's 2nd on the team in runs and RBI's while hitting out of the 8 spot. It's not pretty to watch, but he helps the team win.

[GoGoPower]

Nope, I'm not feeling too much better about him at this point. He's a much better player than what he's done so far and I just don't understand what's going on with him. I haven't really seen the player that I used to watch as a Diamondback at all this year.

I'm glad that he's been doing better recently, but his performance has been a huge disappointment to me...

[olehippi]

Reynold's bat appears to be finding the ball a little more frequently, so we can only hope that his small resurgence is something more than blind luck. He is still far behind his power stats from previous years, and unlike Luke Scott, Mark is not a streaky power hitter. Historically, he's averaged 5-7 HR's a month, so he can still easily reach 30 or more. The most encouraging thing is that his RBI output is solid, and his OBP / OPS are now beginning to climb steadily. I think he adapting to the AL, and that by season's end, we will have exactly the player we thought we were getting.

[LookitsPuck]

He's showing that he's the #8 hitter we all thought he was. Poor BA, good pop and decent OBP.

Wrong. #8 hitter on teams like the Yankees/Red Sox, however, on most teams he's a #6 hitter at this point (maybe even #5). That said, you're wrong given that:

Most of his at bats were either 4, 5, or 6th.

[Enjoy Terror]

Reynolds hit the big #10 tonight. Go Mawk Wenolds!

[weams]

Reynolds hit the big #10 tonight. Go Mawk Wenolds!

He is very strong