Amidst the long layover without Arizona Diamondbacks IF Mark Reynolds decides he’s going to call it quits for good, retiring after 13 big league seasons.
Arizona Diamondbacks corner-infielder Mark Reynolds entered the off-season this year much like he has the past several off-seasons. He had no long term job prospects and knew if he did get an invite to spring training he would have to earn his spot on the major league roster.
When spring training started Reynolds wasn’t even in a baseball camp. This wasn’t too big of a deal though. Once the spring got underway and younger players showed their youth and the older players fell to injuries, there would be at team calling for his services.
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This happened in mid-April of 2018 when the Washington Nationals brought Reynolds in off the street and he rewarded them by hitting a home run in his season debut.
That was the skill set Mark Reynolds possesses. A power hitter who is still reliable around the bag at first, or could slot into the designated hitter role. A big bat off the bench.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit and shut down spring training and has canceled at least the first month-plus of the regular season. With roster movement frozen, even if general managers wanted to call Reynolds they couldn’t.
For this reason and others, Mark Reynolds is calling it quits, ending his thirteen-year baseball career just two home runs shy of 300 for his career.
All told Reynolds may be remembered for his swing and misses rather than his home runs. He lead the majors three years in a row in strikeouts and was the prototypical feast or famine type hitter we’ve been so accustomed to seeing these days.
Reynolds’ played for eight teams in his career with his best years coming with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team who drafted him. In 2009, Reynolds hit 44 home runs while driving in 102, his most productive season with the bat.
For now, Mark Reynolds is holding court spending time with his family until he finds his next calling in life. Congratulations on a long baseball career Mark, and best of luck in the future.
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