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Colorado Rockies Morning After: Mark Reynolds Continues Early Season Tear

By Kevin Henry

Apr 6, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds (12) watches after hitting a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning during the game at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds (12) watches after hitting a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning during the game at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s hard to believe that, looking back just over two months ago, Mark Reynolds wasn’t a member of the Colorado Rockies. In fact, Reynolds wasn’t a member of any Major League team. He was waiting for his chance to see where he might land next.

He landed back in Colorado, a place where he had served as the team’s starting first baseman in 2016. Signed to a minor league deal, Reynolds seemingly had to re-estbalish his value to the Rockies, especially with Ian Desmond now occupying first base for Colorado after signing a massive offseason deal.

"“The offseason was tough,” Reynolds told Rox Pile. “The market got pretty watered down with players like myself. I felt like this might be an opportunity to make the team, knowing everyone here and knowing the front office.”"

But baseball is a funny game, and the baseball gods can be cruel sometimes. One pitch that strayed too far inside sidelined Desmond and pushed Reynolds back into the starting role.

It wasn’t that he struggled in spring training. He posted a .273 average with a pair of homers and seven RBI. He reminded everyone of his versatility, manning third base for a bit with Nolan Arenado on the Team USA roster. He even saw a little action in the outfield.

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However, how he has performed in the regular season has made Colorado’s re-signing of him look like a genius move. Heading into Monday night’s game against San Diego, Reynolds was tied for the National League lead with three homers and led the league with eight RBI. He increased those numbers with a two-run homer in the ninth inning of Monday’s loss to the Padres.

The insurance policy has become a key to Colorado’s fast start to the 2017 season. He started strong, going 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI in the season opener in Milwaukee. Prior to the 2017 starting game, Reynolds was just 2-for-20 on Opening Day, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

“Unfortunately, Des (Ian Desmond) got hurt in the spring. That threw me into the starting role right away. I’m just trying to take advantage of that and make it tough for Buddy (Bud Black) to take me out of the lineup when Des does come back,” Reynolds said.

Last season, Reynolds posted a career-high batting average when he hit .282 for Colorado. Heading into Monday night, his average was at .346. It’s another sign that Reynolds has matured into an all-around hitter.

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“Age. It’s my 11th year,” Reynolds smiled when asked what was the difference for him. “I’ve had a lot of experience, a lot of at-bats and a lot of learning experiences. You figure things out as you go along. You realize that that free-swinging mentality when you’re young doesn’t always work, especially if you want to stick around when you’re a little older. I made some adjustments and really try to be more of a consistent hitter rather than just an all-or-nothing guy.”

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