The LBS Golden Sombrero Club is beginning to discriminate in terms of membership. Garrett Jones of the Pirates takes one last week against the Rockies, the LBS presses are not halted. Hank Blalock was lucky to have slipped between the cracks last week too. But Mark Reynolds, possibly the hottest hitter in baseball, getting crowned by the hottest pitcher in baseball, Cliff Lee, is definitely front page worthy.
A few things must be pointed out here. First off, Cliff Lee has been the best pitcher in baseball this month, and when he’s throwing a complete game two-hitter, you really can’t blame the hitters too much — certainly not a free swinger like Mark Reynolds. Reynolds actually leads the majors in strikeouts by a comfortable margin and even appears to be on pace to break his own single-season record.
Ordinarily I’d spend this time ripping on Reynolds for whiffing so frequently, but you have to give the guy tremendous credit because his approach is certainly paying off this year. Reynolds might be the most underrated hitter this year, ranking second in home runs and in the top 10 in nearly every major statistical category. He’s also been on fire since the All-Star break, leading the majors with 14 home runs and posting a ridiculous 1.222 OPS. We’ll definitely give him a pass for Wednesday night.
