NewsRough start helps Reynolds adjust
Left-hander shows big league stuff with aggressive strikesBy Thomas Harding / MLB.com
11/23/09 6:45 PM EST
DENVER -- An early taste of struggles could be the key to left-handed relief pitcher Matt Reynolds completing a quick trip to the Major Leagues.Reynolds, 25, selected in the 20th round in the 2007 Draft, is 13-11 with six saves and a 2.65 ERA in 122 professional relief appearances. He split 2009 between Class A Modesto (5-3, 1.29 ERA, three saves in 39 games) and Double-A Tulsa (1-2, 4.21 ERA, one save in 21 games), and finished the year in the Arizona Fall League (0-0, 1.29 ERA, two saves in 10 games).
The key to his quick advancement is his aggressiveness in the strike zone. He has 167 strikeouts against 35 walks in 2 1/2 seasons in the Rockies' system.
But Reynolds isn't sure he would be adjusting so quickly in pro ball had it not been for a rough start to his stint at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., in 2006. Reynolds had transferred from a two-year program, Kishwaukee College in Malta, Ill.
"I had a hard time going from junior college to Division I, but I think that difficulty helped," said Reynolds, a St. Charles, Ill., native. "I faced some adversity. Basically, I had to learn how to start to pitch, or I was not going to make it in the game.
"Sometimes you see in pro ball that guys have never really had any kind of struggles. Then they get there and the game is so fast and everybody is so good, then they have to make adjustments, and it's hard. They're a little unsure what's going on."
Reynolds had help from teammates. One of his Governors teammates was right-hander Shawn Kelley, who debuted with the Mariners in 2009. Another, Rowdy Hardy, signed with the Royals as a non-drafted free agent in 2006 and has advanced to Double-A.
"I watched those guys, then I started to figure it out," said Reynolds, who finished his first season at Austin Peay 4-4 with a 4.27 ERA in 17 games, including 10 starts. "Toward the middle of that season, I started pitching better. Then I went to summer ball and really began clicking at that point."
The following year, Reynolds went 10-3 with a 3.26 ERA and, most importantly, 77 strikeouts against 26 walks. Reynolds posted the fifth-best strikeouts-to-walks ratio in the short-season Northwest League in 2007, and has stayed in the strike zone since.
Folks are noticing. Reynolds and Rockies right-handed prospect Andrew Johnson not only participated in the AFL but also were selected for the Rising Stars Game, a showcase of prospects. During the season, before the Rockies traded for Joe Beimel, there was speculation that the club would call up Reynolds to fill a left-handed need. Now Reynolds is hoping to appear in Major League Spring Training for the first time in 2010.
"He's done extremely well, shown great learning and growth this entire season," Rockies player development director Marc Gustafson said. "He has really good command of his fastball and throws a slider and a split-finger pitch. When you can paint the corners with the fastball, that's a really good combination to have. He has a lot of confidence right now."
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
