Mark Reynolds was the trendy pile-on guy in the Orioles Twitterverse during the first half of the season. Six errors in 15 games at third base certainly didn’t help his cause.
But first base has been a totally different story for Reynolds and his teammates have noticed the quality defense he’s playing.
“He’s been playing like a Gold Glove first baseman,” J.J. Hardy told The Baltimore Sun’s Dan Connolly. “Is he going to win a Gold Glove? No. But would I choose him to be my first baseman over a lot of guys? Yeah, I would.”
Hardy has been particularly impressed with some of Reynolds’ picks at first. And I’ll admit it — I have too.
Of course, Reynolds will continue to catch grief from fans for the number of times he strikes out at the plate. What some fans need to remember is that sometimes one out is better than two. Believe it or not, in certain circumstances a strikeout is less damaging then a double-play ball.
Even Reynolds himself will tell you that he’s disappointed in his offensive production though. After belting two homers against the Red Sox on August 12 Reynolds told MASNSports.com’s Roch Kubatko “one good night doesn’t mean anything.”
“These guys have been busting their tails all year. A lot of guys coming through, solid defense everywhere. It’s nice to finally be able to chip in and help us win tonight. Tomorrow’s another day,” he said.
