Mark Reynolds, Retired


Date of Birth: 8/3/1983
Birthplace: Pikeville, Kentucky
College: University of Virginia

Mark Reynolds, retired first baseman, started playing in amateur baseball leagues as a child. Later, he was a star player both in high school and college. He was first drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004 and he played in their minor league system for three years before being called up to the major leagues in May, 2007.

In 2007, his first season with the Diamondbacks, Reynolds batted .279 with 102 hits, 20 doubles, 17 home runs, and 62 RBIs in 111 games. The following year, he set two major league records, but they are records Reynolds probably does not mention to anyone. First, he had the most strikeouts in major league baseball that year, with 204 strikeouts to just 64 walks. Defensively, he set another embarrassing record, making the most errors of all major league third basemen, with a career high 34 errors. On the plus side, in 2008, Reynolds had 129 hits, 28 doubles, 28 home runs, and 97 RBIs in 152 games.

Reynolds continued striking out more than any other player in 2009. That year, he had 223 strikeouts to 76 walks. However, despite the strikeouts, he batted .260 with career highs in hits (150), doubles (30), home runs (44), and RBIs (102) in 155 games.

Reynolds and the Diamondbacks signed a three-year, $14.5 million contract extension in March 2010. That year, he had dismal numbers, with a .198 batting average and just 99 hits in 145 games. He had 32 home runs and 85 RBIs but again had over 200 strikeouts (211 strikeouts to 83 walks).

After his poor 2010 season, the Diamondbacks traded Reynolds to the Baltimore Orioles in December, 2010. Although he hit 37 home runs for the Orioles in 2011, he also led the American League in strikeouts with 196 and he led all of major league baseball in errors. The following season, the Orioles moved Reynolds from third base to first base and he finally became a good defensive player. In 2012, he played in 108 games at first base and he made 40 assists, 926 putouts, and just 5 errors with a .995 fielding percentage.

Reynolds became a free agent after the 2012 season and he signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians in December, 2012. After 99 games with the Indians in 2013, they released him from his contract on August 12th. Three days later, he signed with the New York Yankees. In 2013, Reynolds batted .220 with 98 hits and 21 home runs in a total of 135 games. As a first baseman, he played in 65 games and he made 4 errors with a .992 fielding percentage. He did not fare as well in 54 games at third base, making 7 errors with a .930 fielding percentage.

In January, 2014, Reynolds signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He made their regular roster as a first baseman on March 25th. He finished the 2014 season with 74 hits, 22 home runs, and a .196 batting average in 130 games.

Reynolds signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on December 11, 2014. He hit his fourth career grand slam on May 4, 2015. He finished the season with 88 hits, 21 doubles, 48 RBIs, and a .230 batting average in 140 games. As a first baseman in 100 games, he made 44 assists, 72 double plays, 680 putouts, and 6 errors. He had no hits and one strikeout in four at-bats in three postseason games.

Reynolds signed a one-year, $2.6 million contract with the Colorado Rockies on December 10, 2015. He finished the 2016 season with 111 hits, 24 doubles, 14 home runs, 53 RBIs, and a career high batting average of .282 in 118 games. Defensively, as the Rockies' first baseman in 115 games, he made 79 assists, 91 double plays, 939 putouts, and 7 errors.

Reynolds became a free agent on November 3, 2016. He signed a minor league contract with the Rockies on February 2, 2017. He played in 148 games in 2017 and he batted .267. He finished the season with 139 hits, 22 doubles, 30 home runs, 97 RBIs, and 175 strikeouts to 69 walks. Defensively, as the Rockies' first baseman in 138 games, he made 62 assists, 131 double plays, 1,218 putouts, and 6 errors. In the Wild Card game, he had no hits in 3 at-bats.

Reynolds became a free agent on November 2, 2017. He signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals on April 17, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 51 hits and a .248 batting average in 86 games. Defensively, he played at first base, second base, and third base, and in center field and right field. He also pitched in one game.

Reynolds became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He returned to the Rockies on a minor league contract on January 30, 2019. He was released on July 26, 2019. He finished the 2019 season with 23 hits and a .170 batting average in 78 games.

Reynolds retired on April 9, 2020.

Career batting statistics for Reynolds through 2019 include:

  • 1,688 games played
  • 1,283 hits
  • 253 doubles
  • 298 home runs
  • 871 RBIs
  • 1,927 strikeouts to 707 walks
  • .236 batting average

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Mark Reynolds
ESPN - Mark Reynolds