Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential 2021 All-Stars

CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 27: Ke'Bryan Hayes #13 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 27: Ke'Bryan Hayes #13 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 18: Bryan Reynolds #10 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates his two run home run during the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game two of a doubleheader at PNC Park on September 18, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 18: Bryan Reynolds #10 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates his two run home run during the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game two of a doubleheader at PNC Park on September 18, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Outfielder Bryan Reynolds

Despite struggling in 2020, there is reason to believe Bryan Reynolds will bounce back in 2021. Assuming this happens, he will undoubtedly be a candidate to represent the Pittsburgh Pirates on the NL All-Star Team.

Reynolds was one of the best hitters in the entire NL as a rookie in 2019. The switch-hitting outfielder hit for a .314/.377/.503 slash line to go with a 131 wRC+ in 546 plate appearances. In 2020, however, these numbers slumped to .189/.275/.357 with a 72 wRC+ in 208 plate appearances for the Pirates.

In 2020, Reynolds was hurt by a .231 batting average on balls in play. This is 70 points below the league avergae BAbip, and indicated that Reynolds was snake bitten by poor luck. Also, his 10.1% walk rate was above league average and nearly 2% higher than 2019. So, it is not like he was struggling to see or pick up the ball. He also struggled to use all fields the way he did in 2019. This, however, is something he should be able to get back to doing again in 2020.

When Reynolds burst onto the scene with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 he looked like a budding perennial all-star. While he suffered a sophomore slump in 2020, it would not be a surprise at all to see him named to his first all-star team in 2020.