Colorado Rockies: Mark Reynolds, young fan share special moment

DENVER — When Mark Reynolds was 12, he did the thing at the ballpark every single kid dreams of. He got a ball while attending a Norfolk Tides game. Not only did he nab the souvenir, but also he got it signed by future big leaguer Brook Fordyce.

For a kid who used to troll the opposite side stands for hotshot foul balls, Mark Reynolds lost a bit of this spirit when he entered The Show in 2007. But having kids of his own who dream of being big leaguers and meeting big leaguers like their father has changed a lot for the 35-year-old corner infielder for the Colorado Rockies.

“My perspective has changed since I first came up until now,” he told Rox Pile. “I see my own kids and they get to see Nolan (Arenado) and Charlie (Blackmon) and they get starstruck. The kids come to the game and they love these things. We think are small.”

Colorado’s first baseman made one of those impacts Wednesday night. Leaning into the stands at Coors Field, Reynolds made a sound catch on a foul ball wherein the process of it he robbed a fan from a souvenir … at least momentarily.

Reynolds gave the kid a ball after the snag.

“It’s the first time I let a fan pull the ball out of my mitt,” he said with a laugh. “I had to tell him that I called him off.”

Frankly, getting a ball might be the best reason to head to the park. It’s every kid’s dream. It’s the hope that you touch what one of your big league idols has touched.

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“You gotta realize people look up to us. I go to my kid’s 9-and-under tournaments and kids are bat flipping and stuff,” he said. “You just have to remember how much people cherish these moments.”

It’s impossible to say how many times Reynolds, who touches the ball at first base more than anyone outside the battery, has delivered a fan a treat over his 13-year career. He estimates it’s in the thousands, nearing tens of thousands.

What is easily said is that Reynolds became somebody’s favorite player on Wednesday night and a role model for a young fan for a long time.

“Today, the Broncos are in here and I got to see Joe Flacco again, whom I met back in Baltimore. Emmanuel Sanders is on my fantasy team, so that’s cool,” Reynolds said of the day in which the Denver football squad took batting practice pre-game.

“We all think of ourselves as regular dudes,” he followed. “There’s nothing special. We just play baseball.”

It’s not a stretch to say that special is a place that Reynolds will occupy in one fan’s memory, just like Brook Fordyce does his.