Reynolds enjoying career season in Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As the 2013 campaign puts its first few months in the rearview mirror and presses onward into the summer grind, the Louisville Bats have found a surprise candidate to help anchor their starting pitching rotation. Twenty-seven-year-old Greg Reynolds, who signed a minor league deal with the Reds without much fanfare back in December, has quietly put together a stellar start to the season. Ranking among the International League leaders in several categories, Reynolds has compiled an unblemished 8-0 record to go with an impressive 2.45 ERA, helping lead a Bats pitching staff that ranks third in the league in ERA.
Reynolds, a six-foot-seven leviathan, is making it easier to see why he was the second overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Colorado Rockies. His 8-0 start is the best by a Louisville pitcher since 1984, when Ralph Citarella accomplished the feat with the Redbirds. Reynolds' eight victories are tied for the league lead, and his 92 innings pitched are the league's highest total. The first-year Louisville Bat also ranks among the league's best in WHIP (tied for fifth) and ERA (second), and trails only Armando Galarraga for the team lead in strikeouts. Combined with Galarraga and Tony Cingrani, the Bats have formed a strong nucleus for their starting pitching rotation, even with Cingrani making multiple trips to Cincinnati.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Reynolds' outstanding beginning to the season is the fact it has been a steady progression. The right-hander has dropped his ERA each month as the season has moved into June. Over his last four starts, the right-hander has been at his best, earning victories in each while not allowing more than one earned run in any of the contests. The Pacifica, California native was named the International League Pitcher for the Week of June 10 after a pair of stellar performances in wins over Norfolk and Durham. Those two starts have helped him build a string of 11 consecutive starts where he has pitched at least six innings.
In his 13 starts with the Bats this season, Reynolds has twice fanned eight, and he has the team's longest outing of the season, going eight-and-a-third strong innings on May 30 in a 4-1 victory over division rival Columbus.
Cincinnati's signing of Reynolds in December went largely unnoticed due to his up-and-down performance through his first six professional seasons. Coming into pro baseball as the second overall pick out of Stanford, Reynolds was widely regarded as a future star and made his Major League debut less than two years after he was drafted, making 13 starts with the Rockies in 2008 with mixed results. After injuries derailed all of his 2009 campaign and a portion of 2010, Reynolds got back to the big leagues in 2011, going 3-0 in 13 appearances.
Last season, Reynolds spent the year with Round Rock in Triple-A with the Astros organization, notching 11 victories while making 27 appearances exclusively as a starter. Although his numbers were somewhat pedestrian, it marked Reynolds' second consecutive season being fully healthy, allowing him to become a more sought after free agent when the Reds needed another experienced arm to fill out their roster going into 2013.
Although Reynolds is not on the Reds 40-man roster, his career year is undoubtedly being noticed by both the Cincinnati organization and others within the league. If his numbers continue to rank among the league leaders and he remains an anchor atop the Bats' rotation, another big league opportunity could come knocking on his door, whether in 2013 or next spring.