BRADENTON, Fla. – Bryan Reynolds is a man of few words, so the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder didn’t bother to mince them when asked about the object of his offseason.
“Fixing my swing, which I did,” Reynolds said. “Now we just have to translate that over to live then games and not hit the panic button day one of lives.”
Reynolds followed an All-Star season in 2024 with one of the worst of his seven-year major league career, batting .245/.318/.402 in 154 games. He hit a career-best 38 doubles but offset that by snapping a four-year streak with at least 24 home runs, hitting only 16. He completed his first full season with an OPS+ below 100.
So, Reynolds studied videos of himself at the plate. He found that he was pushing his hands so his barrel wasn’t ready to make contact with the ball until the last split-second, leaving little to no margin for error. It explains why he fared far better against fastballs (.297) than breaking (.219) and offspeed (.189) pitches last season.
“I was like, ‘Man, that looks bad,’” Reynolds said. “Did some other videos of some homers in the past. Just tried to get that.”
Reynolds reduced the width of his stance, so it doesn’t look like he’s squatting. He’s not as hunched over the plate. He concentrated on trying not to push his hands, allowing them to drop the barrel naturally. Reynolds stood in against National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes on Monday, never taking a swing but tracking pitches to help get his timing down. Next, Reynolds is hoping that some of his doubles turn into homers.
“It’s a steeper swing, so it’s hard to flush it, I guess,” Reynolds said. “I kind of thought in my offseason to get a little more loft. That’s just a byproduct of the other stuff I was working on.”
Meantime, the Pirates worked to surround Reynolds with more players with pop. They traded for second baseman Brandon Lowe, who hit 31 homers with 83 RBIs last season, and signed free agents Ryan O’Hearn (17 homers, 63 RBIs) and Marcell Ozuna (21 homers, 68 RBIs).
“When we start to get that going, to have O’Hearn and Lowe in that lineup with Reynolds, (Oneil) Cruz and Spencer (Horwitz), to have that protection is a confidence,” Kelly said. “It’s a confidence in trusting in your teammate to get the job done, picking each other up when the guy in front of you doesn’t and how we have that mindset every day to show up to pick each other up and win a baseball game.”
Reynolds is hoping that having bona fide bats hitting in front of and behind him will help improve his production this season. He would prefer to bat third in the lineup, allowing Lowe to bat second and either O’Hearn and Ozuna behind him in the cleanup spot.
“That’s what they talk about, right? The protection. That’s the key, the hot term everybody likes to post,” Reynolds said. “Having good bats top to bottom in the lineup is going to be great for us scoring more runs. I just have to get on base and score more.”
The biggest change could come in the outfield. After starting 117 of his 154 games in right field, Reynolds could switch back to left this season to allow O’Hearn to play right field. That’s where they lined up for fielding drills during Monday’s first full squad workout at Pirate City.
Where Reynolds had one defensive run saved in right field last season, he had minus-5 DRS in 117 games in left in 2024. Pirates manager Don Kelly advised Reynolds last summer to incorporate a prep step, a shuffle step and hop popularized by former Boston Red Sox star Dustin Pedroia.
“We were just having a conversation on defense and just talking through some adjustments that he might be able to make,” Kelly said. “Pedroia, his pre-pitch was elite. He hopped a lot, but it’s just more about being athletic out there and getting yourself in a position to be quicker in your reaction. And Bryan, it was unbelievable how he was able to take that and run with it in a matter of days.”
Added Reynolds: “That was kind of what helped me out, when I started doing that in the second half. I’m just going to really work on that in spring, get that nailed down. I haven’t played (the outfield) well, but I did start to at the end last year. Wherever they put me I’m going to hop in the air and react.”
Reynolds will do so while trying to hit, without hitting the panic button.
