The Kansas City Royals have added some depth to their minor league roster, as they have inked Matt Reynold to a minor league deal.
As the Kansas City Royals look to accelerate their rebuild, a major piece of the puzzle will be to find diamonds in the rough. Those overlooked players who never really had much of a chance at the major league level can get a longer look on a team like the Royals, especially as they look to find pieces for the future. Former top draft picks that had stalled in their development, and never got much of a look in the major leagues, may simply be late bloomers.
That may be the case with former Mets second round draft pick Matt Reynolds. The Royals inked the infielder to a minor league deal on Saturday, presumably with an invitation to the major league side of Spring Training forthcoming.
We have signed IF Matt Reynolds to a minor league contract.
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) November 16, 2019
The 28-year old was previously in the Nationals’ organization and hit .295 in 111 games for Fresno in 2019. #Royals
Reynolds spent the entirety of 2019 in AAA, playing for the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League. In his 449 plate appearances, he produced a .295/.401/.521 batting line, hitting 16 homers and 29 doubles. With the juiced ball in AAA, and the already lively offense in the PCL, Reynolds far surpassed anything else he had done over his minor league career to that point.
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He has seen action in the majors, with 240 plate appearances over 127 games from 2016 through 2018. In that time, Reynolds has posted a mediocre .223/.295/.340 batting line with four homers and nine doubles, striking out 75 times. He is not likely to become the second coming of Ben Zobrist or Marwin Gonzalez.
It is, however, possible that Reynolds can be a useful piece. He has a great deal of defensive versatility, playing every spot on the diamond aside from pitcher and catcher. Reynolds has been relatively adequate at each position as well, providing roughly league average defense in his action.
Even if Reynolds does not find a way to the Royals Opening Day roster, he is still the type of piece that teams would like to have as minor league depth. He could be brought up in a pinch, filling in at whatever position needed. And, if those offensive gains can carry over, Reynolds could be a nice find for the Royals.
The Kansas City Royals have signed Matt Reynolds to a minor league deal. It may not be an exciting move, but it could be one that pays off down the line.