The Call He Tried to Make

The Phone Call

After he tore his labrum at Brentwood High School and learned he would need surgery, Bryan Reynolds called Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin to give the scholarship back. He thought it should go to someone healthier. Corbin told him the program was invested in him no matter how long the recovery took. Reynolds stayed, helped Vanderbilt win the 2014 College World Series as a freshman, and two years later the San Francisco Giants took him 59th overall in the draft.

Pittsburgh

In January 2018, the Giants sent Reynolds and Kyle Crick to the Pirates for Andrew McCutchen. Reynolds debuted on April 20, 2019, and has played every game of his major-league career in a Pittsburgh uniform — 1,051 games across eight seasons. He is a switch-hitting outfielder, a two-time All-Star, and in April of his age-31 season he collected his 500th career RBI.

His career line reads .272/.351/.459, with 152 home runs and 219 doubles. He was born in Baltimore and grew up in the Nolensville and Brentwood areas of Tennessee. By The Athletic's reporting, he is one of the most soft-spoken players in the Pirates clubhouse.

Percy Priest Lake

When Reynolds was three or four, his father Greg bought a bass boat, hoping to bond over fishing trips on Percy Priest Lake near their Tennessee home. Baseball soon took over — the boy started hitting foam balls in the yard — and the boat sat unused until it gathered water and became a backyard planter. On off days, Reynolds still calls his father to go fishing.

He married his high school sweetheart Blair, and they have multiple children and live in the Nashville area. He is 31, in his eighth season in Pittsburgh, with 543 RBI.

Reporting: The Athletic, MLB.com, Wikipedia. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.