Reynolds showcases 100.4(!) mph cannon from RF

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

When Bryan Reynolds fielded Jes¨²s S¨¢nchez¡¯s base hit in the sixth inning on Saturday, a thought crossed his mind.

¡°I¡¯m gonna see how hard I can throw this thing.¡±

As it turns out, he can throw it pretty darn hard.

Reynolds came into the dugout after the inning and asked head athletic trainer Rafa Nieves to check the iPad. He had a feeling his throw home was special. Bryan De La Cruz slid in ahead of Henry Davis¡¯ tag, but that was no fault of Reynolds.

His throw clocked in at 100.4 mph, harder than Oneil Cruz has been recorded in a Major League game. Harder than Davis in right field last year, too, and harder than anyone in baseball this young season entering play Tuesday.

¡°I was fired up,¡± said Reynolds in Miami. ¡°I was fired up all night. It¡¯s probably one of the cooler things.¡±

There¡¯s plenty of reason for Reynolds to be amped up. He was in rare air with that throw. Since the start of the Statcast era in 2015, the only harder throw by a Pirates fielder was from Starling Marte on May 20, 2016, registering 100.6 mph. Reynolds¡¯ strongest throw of the previous four seasons was clocked at 95.1 mph, in 2022.

And while the season is just getting started, entering Tuesday, Reynolds was the only fielder in baseball to uncork a 100 mph toss. That¡¯s impressive by itself, but even more so considering that last year, Reynolds ranked near the bottom of the league in outfielder arm strength.

Reynolds said his arm hurt all season in 2023, which most likely explains his decrease in velocity. In ¡®22, he averaged 89.5 mph on his top 10% of throws, according to Baseball Savant, around average for center fielders that season. In ¡®23, his average dropped to 83.5 mph, which ranked 141st out of 151 outfielders and was more than four clicks lower than the league average from left fielders (87.7 mph).

¡°I guess my arm was just weak last year,¡± Reynolds said. ¡°I actually worked it out and strengthened it some. Didn¡¯t hurt, either, so that was good.¡±

That offseason work centered around using weighted balls for the first time. Weighted balls are now common for pitchers as part of an offseason and pregame routine, but not always with fielders. Reynolds wanted to build arm strength, so he started throwing those weighted balls into walls and playing more long toss with his fellow Vanderbilt alumnus Jason Delay at their alma mater this winter.

The results are showing. On Opening Day, Reynolds hit 92.6 mph on his first competitive throw of the season, just 0.1 mph lower than his max in 2023. Assuming his shoulder stays healthy, Reynolds should surpass that mark many times this season.

The timing couldn¡¯t be better for Reynolds to improve his arm strength. The Pirates signed Michael A. Taylor on March 16, giving them one of the best defensive center fielders in the game. PNC Park¡¯s expansive left field almost requires Pittsburgh to use another center fielder in its outfield, which is why Jack Suwinski will likely get most of his reps in left. That means Reynolds is changing corners, moving to right field more often, where a strong arm is a requirement.

A year ago, Suwinski was worth 3 Outs Above Average because of his range, and Taylor was worth 9 OAA, which ranked in the 94th percentile in MLB. If Reynolds¡¯ arm is a strength, too, the Pirates could boast a strong defensive outfield.

And maybe Reynolds could give a pointer or two to a youngster like Cruz or Davis on how to throw as hard as him?

¡°I gotta throw another one,¡± Reynolds said with a smirk. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have advice.¡±