Why Reynolds' move to right field could work

BRADENTON, Fla. -- There was a time this offseason where it looked like Bryan Reynolds was going to move from left field to a new position: First base. The All-Star was seen taking ground balls at the end of last year and had a first-base program developed for him this winter.

Reynolds will be changing positions in 2025, but it’s not as drastic a move. Instead of playing left field, he’ll flip over to right field.

"It sounds like I'm a right fielder,” Reynolds said at Pirate City on Tuesday. “It helps to focus on that. Just focusing on that, being a right fielder."

The entire Pirates outfield is likely going to look different than it did on Opening Day a year ago. Tommy Pham was added to the mix, giving the team a veteran corner outfielder that they have coveted for some time. He’s slated to be the primary left fielder, and Oneil Cruz will remain in center field after making the move last August.

Right field isn’t completely foreign to Reynolds. He started 16 games there last season and played 22, and the original plan was for him to make that transition to right in 2024. Circumstances changed and he went back to left field for most of the season, which yielded mixed results.

On the positive end, Reynolds tied for the National League lead in outfield assists, matching Ian Happ of the Cubs with 11. He had only thrown out seven runners total from 2021-23, so he adopted a plyo ball routine that helped build up arm strength. The results spoke for themselves: In 2023, Reynolds’ top 10% of throws averaged 83.5 mph. In ‘24, it was 88.2 mph.

“I think I just probably had some weakness in [my arm in 2023],” Reynolds said, referencing how his arm health wasn’t ideal. “Throwing program helped with that. It was good to see some results."

Reynolds’ 88.2 mph average throwing velocity is more or less in line with the league averages at the corners (88 mph in left field, 89.4 mph in right), but there’s a lot less ground to cover in right field at PNC Park compared to left field and its notch.

That PNC Park left field acreage didn’t do Reynolds many favors last season. He ranked last among outfielders with -13 Outs Above Average, according to Baseball Savant, which included being last with -9 OAA on balls that he had to come in on to play. It was a pretty drastic dropoff from 2023 (-4 OAA), and in the three years prior, he totaled 0 OAA. With a stronger arm, it stood to reason that he could be a plus defender, but it didn’t come to pass.

The short right field porch at PNC Park meant that Reynolds started at an average depth of 291 feet away from home plate in right field compared to playing an average of 302 feet away in left field. Reynolds wasn’t exactly great going back on the ball last year (-4 OAA), but if playing shallower can help him with those balls in front of him, it could help him have a bounce-back season defensively.

If nothing else, that stronger arm and playing shallower should make runners think twice before trying for another base.

“Now we're going to shorten up where he's at [in the field],” manager Derek Shelton said. “I think we can take advantage of his full skill set by being in right."

Of course, Reynolds’ greatest calling card is his bat. He earned a second All-Star nod in 2024, finishing last season with 24 home runs and a .791 OPS. The Pirates are going to need him to be one of their main impact bats again in ‘25.

Sometimes a change in position or bouncing around the diamond can have a carryover effect to a player’s offensive performance, but Reynolds has shown throughout his career that he can compartmentalize and not let outside factors impact his at-bat. He’ll have to do that again.

“I don't think it does anything, actually,” Reynolds said. “It's just completely different. It's not a huge jump going from left to right, I wouldn't think. I just have to get some reps in BP. It's going to be fun."