Harold Reynolds
Reynolds with MLB.com at the 2008 World Series
Second baseman
Born: (1960-11-26) November 26, 1960
Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
Batted: Switch
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 2, 1983, for the Seattle Mariners
Last MLB appearance
August 7, 1994, for the California Angels
MLB statistics
Batting average.258
Home runs21
Runs batted in353
Stolen bases250
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Harold Craig Reynolds (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from 1983 to 1994, most prominently as a member of the Seattle Mariners, where he was a two-time All-Star player and a three-time Gold Glove Award winner. He also played for the Baltimore Orioles and the California Angels. In 1991, Reynolds was named the recipient of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. After his playing career, he became a four-time Emmy Award winning television baseball analyst, working for the MLB Network and Fox Sports.

Early career

High school

Born in Eugene, Oregon,[1] Reynolds was raised in Corvallis and starred in football, basketball, and baseball at Corvallis High School. He was a member of the state championship (AAA) football team in 1978, graduated in 1979, and was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.[2] He was a member of Corvallis' American Legion baseball team that won state and regional titles in August 1978.[3]

College

Reynolds was selected in the sixth round (144th overall) of the 1979 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres on June 5. He opted not to sign and attended college initially at San Diego State University before transferring to Cañada College in Redwood City, California.[4] In the 1980 MLB draft on June 3, Reynolds was selected with the second pick of the amateur draft's secondary phase by the Seattle Mariners.[5]

On June 1, 2013, Reynolds was inducted into the Cañada College Hall of Fame and was presented with the "Colts Lifetime Achievement Award".[6]

Professional career

Reynolds spent several seasons in the minor leagues, playing for the Wausau Timbers (A) in Wisconsin in 1981, Lynn Sailors (AA) in Massachusetts in 1982, and Salt Lake Gulls (AAA) in Utah in 1983,[7] prior to his major league debut on September 2, 1983. In his major league debut, Reynolds appeared as a pinch runner for Ken Phelps in the ninth inning of a 5–4 loss to the New York Yankees.[8] During his time in the minors, Reynolds learned how to switch hit by working with minor league manager and former Cincinnati Reds catcher Bill Plummer. The following season, he played AAA ball in Salt Lake before being called up again in September 1984. Reynolds exceeded his rookie limits during the 1985 season and batted .144 with 3 RBI in 67 games.[9] The next season, Reynolds appeared in over 100 games for the first time. He finished the season batting .222 with a home run, 24 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 126 games.[9]

Reynolds (right) presents President George H. W. Bush with a Seattle Mariners baseball cap in the Oval Office in 1990.

Reynolds was an All-Star in 1987 and 1988, led the American League in stolen bases with 60 in 1987, in triples with 11 in 1988, and in at-bats with 642 in 1990.[9] He was the only player other than Rickey Henderson to lead the American League in stolen bases during any season in the 1980s. However, Reynolds was also caught stealing 20 times in 1987, which led the AL, and he was caught 29 times in 1988, which led the majors.[9] On defense, Reynolds won three Gold Glove Awards and led the American League in assists and double plays five times each.[9] In 1986, he played in Puerto Rico with the Mayagüez Indians.

On September 30, 1990, Reynolds was the last man to bat at Comiskey Park. He grounded out against Chicago White Sox pitcher Bobby Thigpen to close out a 2–1 White Sox win.[10]

In 1991, Reynolds won the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to a Major League Baseball player selected for his character and charitable contributions to his community.[11]

Reynolds (left) receives a thumbs up from President Bill Clinton before Opening Day at Camden Yards in 1993.

On October 26, 1992, Reynolds was granted free agency.[9] He signed a one-year, $1.65 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles on December 11, 1992.[12] He played in 145 games with the Orioles, batting .252 with four home runs and 47 RBI.[9] After one season with the Orioles, he again entered free agency on October 29, 1993.[9] Reynolds signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres on January 28, 1994,[13] before being traded to the California Angels on March 29 for Hilly Hathaway.[14] The 1994 season was Reynolds' final season in the major leagues.

Reynolds led the league in double plays turned by a second baseman five times and in errors committed by a second baseman four times, and won three Gold Glove awards for his play at second base.

Broadcasting

Reynolds at the 2008 World Series

Reynolds joined ESPN in 1996 as a lead studio analyst on Baseball Tonight. He appeared at major baseball events on the ESPN set, including the All-Star Game and the World Series. He also was a commentator for ESPN's coverage of the College World Series and Little League World Series. However, he was fired from the network in July 2006 following accusations of sexual harassment.[15] Reynolds called the incident "a total misunderstanding," claiming that a hug he had given a woman had been misinterpreted.[16] Reynolds filed a $5 million lawsuit against ESPN for payment of the remainder of his contract.[17][18] ESPN settled the case with Reynolds in April 2008, and paid him a seven-figure sum.[19]

Reynolds joined MLB.com as a commentator in June 2007.[20] In April 2008, he joined Mets pre-game and post-game coverage on SportsNet New York as a baseball commentator.[21] Reynolds also worked with TBS on their Sunday baseball telecasts, as well as the 2008 MLB playoffs.

Reynolds has been an analyst on MLB Network since its launch in January 2009.[22] Reynolds regularly appears on MLB Tonight, Quick Pitch, Diamond Demo and MLB Network's breaking news and special event coverage, including the All-Star Game, Postseason and World Series. He was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award for his work as a studio analyst on MLB Network in 2011, 2012 and 2013.[23][24][25]

Reynolds became a member of the MLB on Fox pregame show in 2012, which at the time was being produced out of MLB Network's studios. Reynolds worked on Fox's pregame show for two years alongside Matt Vasgersian and Kevin Millar. After the 2013 season, Reynolds, along with Tom Verducci, was promoted to join Joe Buck on the network's top broadcast team following the retirement of lead analyst Tim McCarver, which lasted for two seasons until the duo was replaced by John Smoltz in 2016.

Personal life

Reynolds is a Christian[26][27] and is the youngest of eight children. His brother Don Reynolds is a former outfielder who played parts of two seasons with the San Diego Padres.[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bellamy, Ron (February 11, 1994). "Second chance is all he seeks". The Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 1B – via Google News Archive.
  2. ↑ "Six new inductees join Oregon Hall of Fame". The Register-Guard. Oregon. June 30, 1998. p. 2D.
  3. ↑ "Corvallis upends Yakima for title". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. United Press International. August 28, 1978. p. 6 – via Google News Archive.
  4. ↑ "6th Round of the 1979 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  5. ↑ "1st Round of the 1980 MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  6. ↑ "2013 Inductees | Hall of Fame | Cañada College". Cañada College. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ Kragthorpe, Kurt (June 15, 1983). "Owen-Reynolds combination clicks". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 8B – via Google News Archive.
  8. ↑ "New York Yankees vs Seattle Mariners Box Score: September 2, 1983". Baseball-Reference.com. September 2, 1983. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Harold Reynolds Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Seattle Mariners vs Chicago White Sox Box Score: September 30, 1990". Baseball-Reference.com. September 30, 1990. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Roberto Clemente Award Winners | History". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  12. ↑ "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASEBALL; Orioles Get Reynolds". The New York Times. December 12, 1992. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Padres sign Reynolds". United Press International. January 28, 1994. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Trade by Padres makes Angels next stop for Harold Reynolds". Tampa Bay Times. March 30, 1994. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  15. ↑ "ESPN's Reynolds let go over sexual harassment". Evansville Courier & Press. Associated Press. July 26, 2006. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved July 26, 2006.
  16. ↑ Marchand, Andrew (July 26, 2006). "Accused of Sexual Harassment: Reynolds Wants ESPN Job Back". New York Post. Archived from the original on August 19, 2006. Retrieved July 26, 2006.
  17. ↑ "Reynolds sues ESPN for $5 million". MSNBC. Associated Press. October 31, 2006. Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2007.
  18. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (February 8, 2007). "Reynolds's Pact Is Included in Amended ESPN Suit". The New York Times. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  19. ↑ "ESPN, Harold Reynolds settle lawsuit". Los Angeles Business Journal. April 16, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Former All-Star Reynolds joins MLB.com". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. June 11, 2007. Archived from the original on June 16, 2007.
  21. ↑ Cerrone, Matthew (April 24, 2008). "Harold Reynolds joins Mets Pre Game". Mets Blog. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  22. ↑ "MLB Network Personalities". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media.
  23. ↑ "NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR THE 32ND ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS, AL MICHAELS TO RECEIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD". Emmy Awards. March 22, 2010. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  24. ↑ "NOMINEES FOR THE 33RD ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS". Emmy Awards. March 20, 2012. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  25. ↑ "THE NOMINEES FOR THE 34th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS". Emmy Awards. March 20, 2013. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  26. ↑ Williamson, Don (August 5, 1990). "Harold Reynolds -- This Seattle Mariner Uses Baseball As A Platform For Teaching Kids". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Harold Reynolds". The Goal. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  28. ↑ McMane, Fred (June 6, 1979). "Wolverines Popular In Baseball Draft". Times-Union. Associated Press – via Google News Archive.
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