Pittsburgh Pirates News: Bryan Reynolds Named Silver Slugger Finalist

On Tuesday afternoon Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds was named a Silver Slugger Award finalist for the 2021 season

Few things went right for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2021 season. One of the few things that did go well for the Pittsburgh Baseball Club was the bounce back of outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Following his bounce back season, Reynolds has been named a Silver Slugger Award finalist for National League center fielders.

During the 2019 season Reynolds burst onto the scene with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The switch hitting outfielder was one of the best rookies not just in the National League but in all of baseball that season.

Reynolds followed this up by struggling during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. Following his struggles in 2020 there were questions about who the real Reynolds was. However, he proved in 2021 that his 2020 struggles were a fluke.

Following his big offensive bounce back in 2021, Reynolds has been named a Silver Slugger Award finalist in the National League.

This is a well deserved honor for Reynolds who hit for a .302/.390/.522 slash line to go with a 142 wRC+ in 2021. He hit 24 home runs, drew walks at an 11.6% rate and collected extra base hits at an 11.4% rate. His on-base percentage, slugging percentage, wRC+, home runs, walk rate, and extra base hit rates were all career highs. As were his .220 isolated slugging (ISO) and 8 triples, while his 35 doubles were just short of his career best 37 doubles collected in 2019.

Reynolds posted a career best 5.5 fWAR in 2021. It goes without saying that he is more than deserving of a Silver Slugger Award in center field for his efforts. The excellent season that Reynolds had may go unnoticed due to the struggles of the Pirates. Hopefully, he will gain some recognition and take home a well deserved Silver Slugger Award.