ATLANTA -- Bryan Reynolds made a trip down the line of fans on the field Friday at Truist Park, signing the balls and cards that were stretched out toward him. After scribbling his John Hancock a couple dozen times, he made his way into the batter’s box to rip some line drives and crack a smile during batting practice. Fast forward about an hour later, and Reynolds jumped on the first fastball he saw for a single, the first knock in a multi-hit performance. It may have been game 160 of 162, but when you’re in a rhythm, you try to keep it rolling until the season wraps. “It’s been good since the All-Star break,” Reynolds said. “Got back to normal.” Things have been better for Reynolds since the All-Star break, as he's slashed .274/.364/.451 with 20 doubles and six home runs over 61 games. That .815 OPS is right in line with his career mark (.805), and is the type of production the Pirates were hoping for all season. The catch is Reynolds’ season stats are still well below his standard. With the exception of the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Reynolds has always finished with a season OPS of at least .790. He’s still wearing his early-season slump, and his .719 OPS is set to be the worst for a full season in his career. His 16 home runs are tied with his rookie year for the fewest in a full season for him, as are his 233 total bases. |
He’s ending a tough year on a better note, but he is going to finish with roughly league-average offensive results while the Pirates were counting on something closer to his 2024 All-Star campaign. Some of it was out of his control. A shoulder injury limited him to being just a designated hitter for much of April, but Reynolds dismissed that it impacted his first-half results. Going by batted ball peripherals, he was unlucky, lining into hard-hit outs. It’s why if you look at his expected wOBA, he’s had a pretty normal season (.348 xwOBA in 2025, .353 in his career). It was far from a pretty normal season, though. “It was frustrating because I was actually hitting the ball pretty well,” Reynolds said. “But like I said, I’m happy that it’s gotten better as the year’s gone on.” There’s a lot to digest when trying to break down what went wrong this season for the Pirates. They’re a club anchored by the soon-to-be Cy Young winner with perhaps the best collection of young pitching in the sport. That group just didn’t get nearly enough offensive support, ranking last in baseball in runs, homers and OPS. |
Reynolds is still processing the year as a whole, but the plan is to find a hitting facility this winter and do a dive into how he moved. After a year where he tweaked and tinkered more than normal, he’s looking for answers and the consistency he takes pride in. Because while the onus of the team’s offensive struggles is shared, a lot of the weight was supposed to go on Reynolds’ shoulders. “Obviously,” Reynolds answered when asked if it has been frustrating not contributing more amid a poor hitting season as a club. “As a whole, all year, offensively, we were bad. That’s not a recipe for winning.” Reynolds is the owner of the franchise’s first nine-figure contract, and the players the Pirates extended to long-term deals over the past few years did not have monster 2025s. Ke’Bryan Hayes was traded in July, while Mitch Keller wasn’t able to reach his All-Star form. Any optimism towards 2026 is going to hinge on both additions to the roster and improvement from within. Reynolds is in the latter camp. “Certainly when you mention Bryan’s case, we believe in those guys,” general manager Ben Cherington said, referring to Reynolds and Keller. “We do believe there’s better to come. Obviously both have been incredibly consistent performers for the Pirates. Reliable. Maybe this year was a bit down for both guys, but they’re both healthy. They’re both motivated. I think there’s better to come in future years. We still see them as future parts of the team. And we’re counting on them, for sure.” |
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Mitch Keller made his 32nd start of the season Friday, marking his third straight season where he started at least 31 games. Who was the last Pirates pitcher to make at least that many starts in three consecutive seasons? A. Gerrit Cole B. Jameson Taillon C. Bob Walk D. Paul Maholm |
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“We’ll see what happens. Obviously, a lot of that stuff is out of my control, so I just need to do my part. I do want to continue playing, so wherever that may be. I’m looking forward to seeing where the offseason takes me. We’ll move on from there. … I’m not necessarily just here to be here.” -- Andrew McCutchen on his future |
There is a large display of Georgia natives currently in the Majors on the path to the visitor’s clubhouse at Truist Park. The markers are just nameplates with a photo and the player’s name, but one in particular is pretty easy to spot. “The first guy I saw was me,” Bubba Chandler said Friday, beaming. Chandler -- a Lawrenceville, Ga., native -- is going to have dozens upon dozens of friends and family members cheering him on tonight as he makes his final start of the season, and his first against his hometown team. “My dream was always to pitch at Turner [Field],” Chandler said. “Obviously not going to happen, but Truist is right behind it. I’m pumped for it.” |
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D. Maholm Maholm made at least 31 starts every year from 2008-2010, going 26-33 with a 4.39 ERA over his 94 starts. |
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