It’s been a rough June for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the Bucs have gone 9-13 while losing key players Spencer Horwitz, Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz to injury. Even some of their healthy big producers have slumped this month. However, one man has been the light in the darkness, consistently producing for them — Bryan Reynolds.
Not only is Reynolds producing this month — he’s being consistent within a larger trend of his career.
Reynolds levels up every June.
Bryan Reynolds Is Mr. June
Bryan Reynolds is usually a good baseball player. In June, he’s a great one.
In his career outside of June, Reynolds has a batting average of .263, an on-base percentage of .342, and an OPS of .784. Well above-average numbers.
In June, Reynolds has a .325 BA, .395 OBP, and .951 OPS. Elite numbers.
For reference, since Bryan Reynolds entered the league in 2019, league average OPS has been roughly .726. A .951 OPS would have been fourth-best in the show last season.
This June Has Been No Different
This year has been no exception to the rule of Bryan Reynolds’ June dominance. In fact, he’s doing even better than usual. Reynolds is slashing .321/.400/.583 for an OPS of .983 this month. On the season, only Yordan Alvarez of the Astros has posted a higher OPS than Reynolds’ June mark.
Additionally, Reynolds is carrying a 16-game hitting streak and a 31-game on-base streak.
Not Just Big Stats, Big Moments
Reynolds’ impact has been big beyond the mere stat sheet as well. There is no greater instance of his impact this month than the Pirates’ June 16 game against the Athletics.
Pittsburgh trailed 4-0 to the A’s, the day after suffering a demoralizing 11-2 defeat to them. It appeared that the Pirates’ season was spiraling down.
Reynolds stepped to the plate in the fourth. The A’s pitcher had recorded 10 outs while allowing only one baserunner — Reynolds, who had singled in the first. Reynolds singled again. The next couple of hitters batted Reynolds in. 4-1.
Two innings later, Reynolds came to the plate again. Home Run. 4-2.
Reynolds stepped up to the plate again in the seventh. The Pirates now trailed 5-3. Two outs, runner on first. Reynolds homered again. Tie game.
A Brandon Lowe ninth-inning home run put Pittsburgh up 6-5, and they held on to win.
For almost the entire game, the rest of the offense could not get anything going. Bryan Reynolds kept chipping away, singlehandedly bringing them back into the game. Reynolds recorded an incredible 0.381 WPA (Win Probability Added), meaning that he solely increased the Pirates’ chance of winning that game by 38.1%.
Once again, Reynolds came up big in the Bucs’ Father’s Day win against the Rockies. Reynolds hit a seventh-inning three-run shot to put Pittsburgh up 8-1, which seemed to be the inconsequential beating of a dead horse. However, Reynolds’ homer proved key to the Pirates’ victory as the Buccos’ bullpen, in somewhat typical fashion, gave up five more runs before the end of the game. Without his home run, Pittsburgh would have lost 6-5 and gotten swept.
Reynolds has not only done it on offense, either. Between June 9 and June 13, Reynolds robbed three home runs in left field, including one off reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani.
Pirates Need June Reynolds in July and Beyond
Pirates fans have no doubt enjoyed Reynolds’ elite play this month, and the club has greatly needed it amidst the injuries to Horwitz, Griffin and Cruz. Nonetheless, the Pirates will need Reynolds’ excellence to be more than a one-month frenzy.
Pittsburgh is 41-41 just past the halfway mark of their season. Before their last loss, it was their first time having a winning record at the halfway point in the season since 2015. This change is no doubt promising, but the Bucs have their eyes set on doing something else for the first time since 2015. Making the playoffs.
If the Pirates want to make the playoffs, they’ll need to do better than trading wins and losses evenly, given the competitiveness of the National League. The return of Horwitz, Griffin and Cruz should boost the Bucs, but for them to move past flirting with .500, they can’t afford for Reynolds to fall back to solid, not-elite play.
Any superstitious Yinzers can take hope in Reynolds turning it on before June with a great end to May, including an electric walk-off home run against the Twins, showing his best isn’t only confined to the sixth month of the year. If Reynolds can continue to operate at an elite level throughout the rest of the season, the Pirates can really separate from the pack in the tough National League playoff race.
In Pittsburgh, let’s hope it’s June all year.
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