Matt Reynolds is tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A Las Vegas so far this season, hitting at a vigorous .330/.398/.545 clip. (29-for-88)
This has been a regular occurrence for the 24 year-old, actually, as last season between Double-A Binghamton and the 51’s, Reynolds hit a robust .343/.405/.454 in 478 at-bats.
MLB.com had this to say about Reynolds:
“It might be dull, but Reynolds gets the job done. With nothing flashy about his game, Reynolds is an extremely fundamentally sound infielder. A good athlete who is extremely coachable and makes good adjustments in all facets of the game.”
“Reynolds uses a compact swing to allow him to hit for a high average. He doesn’t try to do too much at the plate, but he does have some strength and extra-base ability. He won’t make the highlight-reel plays at shortstop, and his range is a bit limited, but he makes every routine play, with good hands, instincts and a strong arm.”
With the Wilmer Flores experiment at shortstop not working, as he has struggled both offensively (.240/.278/.387) and defensively (7 errors; .917 FPCT). and Ruben Tejada batting just .167 this season, could Reynolds finally warrant a call-up?
He had an outstanding Spring Training for the Mets (.391 BA; 1.01 OPS) winning the annual John Murphy Award, which goes to the top-performing rookie in Mets major league camp. He’s also performed very well since reaching the upper ranks of the minors.
With the Mets already promoting Dilson Herrera to replace Daniel Murphy‘s poor defensive play at second, they should consider promoting Reynolds as well. Is he the answer at shortstop? I don’t know, but you can’t afford to have Flores keep making the same mistakes day in and day out.
Reynolds is MLB.com’s #12 ranked Mets prospect, and MMO’s #16 Mets top ranked prospect.
