The next McGwire: Mark Reynolds
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by user Bobman024
The next Mark McGwire? You mean - a homerun hitting, fist pumping, juiced up ballplayer who’s infamy in the desert is hitting a BP shot into the “Fridays Front Row” sign?
Well…not quite…but he sure has been dropping some jaws around Chase Field. Not bad for a guy who was taken in the 16th round. In fact, Mark Reynolds has literally turned this club around. There are certain pivotal moments in a season, when any team can look back and point to a game or an acquisition or a player, that turned the tides of the season. Mark Reynolds is having one of those moments.
Since arriving in the Majors, Reynolds has played in 13 games; he has hit .435 with 9 extra base hits (3 home runs), and 13 RBI’s. He’s also tagged the scoreboard in BP and garnered praise from Bob Melvin to the tune of:
- “We knew he could swing it,” D-backs manager Bob Melvin said. “Defensively, he’s been making plays out there like Brooks Robinson. He’s been a tremendous boost for us.”
- Melvin said he’d feel comfortable using Reynolds at third, short, second, or first.
Since Reynolds has arrived, he’s sparked the Dbacks to a 9-4 record, sitting just a half game shy atop the NL West. He’s not only put himself on the map, but he has sparked an offense that was putrid for the majority of May.
The major question in my mind, and for that matter, many Dbacks fans…What do we do with Reynolds when Chad Tracy comes off the DL? Jim McClennan at azsnakepit.com was asking his followers the same thing.
The answer, in my mind and 30% of the voters is this: Move Reynolds to 1st and play Tracy at 3rd. You have to play the hot bat, and Reynolds is just that. Reynolds may not be the next Mark McGwire, but if he does stay on his torrid pace, the Dbacks might have just found themselves with a problem that most teams would love to have: A Rookie of the Year….but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
If you interested in learning more about Mark Reynolds, you definitely want to listen to our interview of Jim McClennan from azsnakepit.com.
