Reynolds is streaky, but can dominate with the bat

by Ken Rosenthal

Updated: April 10, 2008, 12:16 PM EST 27 comments

"He hits the ball farther than anyone I've ever seen in my 27 years in the game," Diamondbacks hitting coach Rick Schu said.

Schu, a former teammate of both Mike Schmidt and Eddie Murray, gushes that Reynolds has "Herman Munster power," calling him a potential "superstar."

But Reynolds, who struck out 129 times in 366 at-bats as a rookie, admits, "I have a lot of inconsistencies in my swing."

If Reynolds ever reduces those inconsistencies, he not only will be the hitter of Schu's dreams, but also one of the most feared sluggers in the game.

"He's got tremendous bat speed," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said. "He covers the plate well. And he's just beginning to scratch his potential."

Through nine games, Reynolds leads the majors with five homers and 13 RBIs. His early surge has helped fuel the D-backs' 7-2 start, and he is not the only young Arizona hitter showing improvement.

The samples are still absurdly small, but first baseman Conor Jackson boasts a .481 on-base percentage. Center fielder Chris Young has four homers and eight walks, right fielder Justin Upton three homers and a 1.112 OPS.

The D-backs, who scored the third-fewest number of runs in the National League last season, might be the best team in the league if their kids continue to mature, if Brandon Lyon proves an adequate closer, if Randy Johnson contributes 20 to 25 starts and Doug Davis makes a successful recovery from thyroid cancer surgery.

Reynolds, 24, could be in the middle of it all, crushing 30-plus homers, playing ever-improving defense at third. Maybe he will never achieve the offensive consistency he desires; his swing is difficult to repeat. But he reached the majors last May after only 248 at-bats at Class AA, and Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes says he continues to surpass the team's expectations.

Say this for Reynolds — he is aware of his shortcomings, and has been working to correct them ever since Diamondbacks scout Howard McCullough signed him as a 16th-rounder out of the University of Virginia in 2004.

When he's hot . . .

"Honestly, I don't even think," Reynolds sais. "I just go up there and it's pretty much as simple as, 'See ball. Hit ball.' I don't get any more technical than that. I don't have video equipment. I don't do any of that stuff. I just go play. The key for me is stay out of my own way."

When he's cold . . .

"I tend to get a little jumpy, get out on my front side a little too much," Reynolds said. "My hands stay forward instead of in what me and Schu call 'The Slot.'"

Schu, who has worked with Reynolds since '05 — first as the team's organizational hitting coach, then as his major-league instructor — taught his prot ég é a toe tap in the minors to help improve his timing.

When Reynolds is too quick, he struggles to recognize sliders and curveballs, failing to pick up their rotations. Schu talks to him constantly about "downshifting" — slowing down, staying back, remaining under control.

Sometimes Reynolds does, sometimes he doesn't. He went 5-for-5 with two homers in his 10th major league game last season, increasing his batting average to .459. He then slumped horribly in June and July, but rallied in August and September, capping his resurgence with a tie-breaking homer off Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol in Game 1 of the Division Series.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella drew heavy criticism for lifting Carlos Zambrano after six innings in that game, but Marmol had held right-handed hitters to a .146 batting average during the regular season, allowing them only two homers in 157 at-bats.

Reynolds, undaunted, laid off two sliders until he got the fastball he wanted.

"Everyone is going to throw him breaking balls, he knows that," Schu said. "But if he gets in fastball counts, he doesn't miss the heater too much. And the thing about Mark, he can go foul line to foul line. He hits balls out to right like he's a left-handed pull hitter."

On Sunday, Reynolds hit a two-run homer to center off Rockies closer Manuel Corpas at Coors Field. The next night, he hit two homers at home against the Dodgers, a three-run shot to left off Esteban Loaiza and a solo shot to right-center off Chan Ho Park.

His defense also is evolving. A former shortstop at Virginia, Reynolds played first base, second and third in the minors in 2006, but seemed destined to be an offensive player. "He'll never be a standout with the glove," Baseball America said. "His ceiling is as a power-hitting second baseman in the Jeff Kent mold."

An injury to Chad Tracy, however, created an opportunity for Reynolds last season at third. Schu predicts that Reynolds eventually might win Gold Gloves, and a rival scout compares Reynolds to Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, attributing the defensive improvement of both players to their respective work ethics.

Reynolds says he takes great pride in his defense, working as hard on his fielding as he does on his hitting, if not harder. He recalls the advice of former major leaguer Brett Butler, one of his former minor league managers: "When your career is over, you want to look back and have no regrets."

Hot or cold, Reynolds is on his way.