Bryan Reynolds has been a mainstay in the Pirates lineup since he debuted with the team in 2019. A two-time All-Star, Reynolds has served as the de facto team leader of the Ben Cherington era, known for his shy nature and no-nonsense attitude. Acquired from the San Francisco Giants in 2018 in the blockbuster Andrew McCutchen deal, he has more than filled the void during McCutchen’s absence. Reynolds and McCutchen teamed up in 2023 after the latter signed a one-year contract to return to Pittsburgh. It is hard not to compare the two, given their shared history. While McCutchen has since left for Texas, Reynolds remains a Pirate, entering his age-31 season in his eighth year in the black and gold.
His road to the show, however, began in his native Tennessee.
Reynolds was born and initially raised in Baltimore before his family moved to the Volunteer State. He was a multi-sport star at Brentwood High School and was once a teammate of Robbie Ray. He developed into a switch hitter at a Vanderbilt hitting camp during his junior year. As a senior, Reynolds was named first-team All-State and District Player of the Year. On his high school team, he played shortstop, and in the summers, he played center field on travel ball teams.
That summer after his senior season, Reynolds, playing for the Tennessee Travel Baseball Team, won the Sunbelt Tournament in Oklahoma. Recruited to nearby Vanderbilt, a college baseball powerhouse, he made an instant impact as a freshman. Reynolds led the Commodores in batting with a .338 average, five points higher than Dansby Swanson, who would go on to be selected first overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2015 MLB Draft.
That season, he hit four home runs, drove in 54 runs, and stole 14 bases, helping Vanderbilt to its first College World Series championship in a victory over Virginia. As a sophomore, Reynolds hit .318 with five home runs, 49 RBIs, and swiped 17 bags. The Commodores returned to the CWS but fell to the Cavaliers in a rematch of the previous year's championship game. After the season, he played for the Orleans Firebirds of the elite Cape Cod League, hitting .346 in 81 at-bats.
Reynolds’ junior year was his finest, as he hit a personal-best 13 home runs with 56 RBIs and an OPS of 1.064. He was named a Third Team All-American by the NCBWA. Major league scouts took notice, and Reynolds was later drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2016 draft. Debating whether to return for his senior season, Reynolds eventually signed and made his professional debut that year for the Salem-Keizer Volcanos of the Northwest League.
Reynolds got off to a hot start as a pro and earned a promotion to High A Augusta of the Sally League. He spent the 2017 campaign with the San Jose Giants and was named to the All-Star Futures Game in Miami. That offseason, he was traded to the Pirates, along with pitcher Kyle Crick and international bonus slot money, for former MVP Andrew McCutchen and cash considerations.
When he heard the news, Reynolds immediately connected with his former college teammate Jason Delay, then a catcher in the Pirates system. Reynolds had a great year for the Altoona Curve in 2018, hitting .302 with seven homers and 46 RBIs in 88 games. Altoona won the Eastern League’s Western Division before falling to Akron in the championship semifinals. After a brief stint with the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League, Reynolds began the 2019 season at Triple-A Indianapolis.
It did not take long for Reynolds to make an impression. In 13 games, he hit .367 with five home runs, 11 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.181. Reynolds made his major league debut on April 20 at home against his former team, the Giants, and has not looked back since. He recorded his first hit, a single off Derek Holland in the Pirates’ 3-1 win, and later went on an 11-game hitting streak.
Reynolds had an excellent rookie year, tying Josh Bell for the team lead in doubles with 37. He finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, with the award ultimately going to the Mets’ slugger Pete Alonso in his historic 53-homer season. Like many others, Reynolds truly struggled for the first time during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, hitting a career-low .189. Through his first two seasons, he played more games in left field than in center.
2021 was a breakout season for Reynolds, as well as Adam Frazier. The two had career years, highlighted by selections to the All-Star Game, where Reynolds started in center field. That campaign, Reynolds slashed .302/.390/.522 with 24 homers, 90 runs batted in, and tied Shohei Ohtani and David Peralta for the league lead with eight triples. He was a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award and finished 11th in the NL MVP voting, totaling 6.0 bWAR.
2022 was another very good year for Reynolds, though not necessarily for the team. While Reynolds hit a career-high 27 home runs, the Bucs lost 100 games for their fourth consecutive losing season. A notable highlight came on June 29, when he hit three homers against the Nationals in an 8-7 win.
2023 was another rebuilding year for the Pirates. While they improved on their previous record by 14 games, it was still another fourth-place finish in the NL Central. Reynolds, steady as always, had another good year at the plate and later signed a record-breaking extension to remain in Pittsburgh: eight years and $106.75 million, at the time the largest contract in team history.
After a strong first half, slashing .284/.347/.487 with 18 home runs and 61 RBIs, Reynolds was named to the 2024 National League All-Star team as a reserve, joining teammate and rookie phenom Paul Skenes, the NL’s starting pitcher. 2024 was Reynolds’ fourth straight 20-plus home run campaign, and he led the team with 24. While his second-half splits were not as impressive, he was still named the team’s MVP by the local chapter of the BBWAA.
Last season was something of a down year for Reynolds, at least by his standards. He was shifted to right field and saw more time as the designated hitter. He hit only 16 home runs in 2025, but after an early slump, improved considerably in the second half of the season.
If it was not already obvious, the Pirates have struggled for almost all of Reynolds’ tenure, never once finishing above fourth place in the division. Might that change in 2026 with a revamped lineup? Reynolds is back in left field this year and is off to a good start offensively. As of April 15, he is hitting .292 with three home runs and 12 RBIs, along with a 140 OPS+. However, there have been some rough moments in the field, including errors and questionable judgment. It is enough to make you wonder where his future lies. Could he eventually become the team’s full-time DH?
Looking at the Pirates’ all-time home run leaders, Reynolds currently sits ninth with 141. If he spends his entire career in a Bucs uniform, a top-five finish remains likely. He would need 100 more to pass Roberto Clemente for fourth place. Still just 31 years old, and given his relative consistency as a hitter, that number seems like a realistic ceiling.
Reynolds will always be a fan favorite in Pittsburgh. When the team has been down these past few years, he has been there to provide that spark.
