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Overview
School: Vanderbilt University
Position: Outfield
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 215 lbs.
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Bryan Reynolds: 2016 MLB Draft Profile
Bryan Reynolds was born in Baltimore, Maryland and grew up in Brentwood, Tennessee. Reynolds has one sister. His father, Greg, is an aspiring professional bass fisherman and his mother, Michelle, is an outdoor enthusiast. Reynolds’ favorite team is the Atlanta Braves; his favorite players are Chipper Jones and Miguel Cabrera, and his favorite actor is Will Ferrell. He chose Vanderbilt as his school for their academics, their baseball program, and the campus’ proximity to his home. Reynolds is a psychology major and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll as a freshman.
Strengths:
- Disiplined hitter, OBP over .400 for his career, perhaps possesses most knowledge of the strikezone in the draft
- Line drive hitter, makes good contact and uses the entire field
- Switch hitter
- Increase in power in each of his three seasons
- Versatile, can play any of the three outfield spots
- Good glove, hasn’t made a single error in his junior season and takes good routes on balls
- Good speed, could swipe double digit bags in the majors, quick first step.
Weaknesses:
- Arm strength: could play center field at the next level but lack of arm strength profiles more as a left fielder
- Power: although he has shown growth in his power numbers some scouts are still concerned about this tool.
MLB Comparison: Tyler Naquin, Cleveland Indians
Projected Pick Range: 15-31
Most Likely Landing Spot: Hard to determine, some publications have him right outside the first round, some in the middle of the round, and some not even in the first round of the draft. Red Sox, Mets, Blue Jays, and Cardinals are all potential landing spots.
Bottom Line
In his three seasons at Vanderbilt, Reynolds owns a .330 average with a .412 OBP and a .511 slugging percentage. Reynolds improved his on-base and slugging percentages in each of his seasons for the Commodores, and has lowered his at-bats per home run from 70.3 as a freshman to an impressive 16.8 as a junior. On a 1-5 scale, fueledbysports.com ranks Reynolds a 17 out of 25. His contact comes in at a four, his power a two, his speed a four, his arm a three, and his fielding a four. In summary, the site views Reynolds as a very disciplined hitter who uses the whole field. Reynolds has average to above average speed, a good glove in the outfield, but an average to below average arm that projects more in left field. Overall, Reynolds is seen by most scouts as a well-rounded, steady player, who doesn’t jump off the screen but has been nothing but productive versus the highest competition the past three seasons, including a successful summer in the Cape Cod League in 2015. Reynolds has the skill set to make his way through the minors quickly and could be a future star at the top of a lineup.
Sources: MLB.com, The Sporting News, Baseball America, fueledbysports.com, thebaseballcube.com, SBNation, Vucommodores.com
Main Photo via YouTube.com
