Giants snag Vandy OF Reynolds in 2016 draft

The Giants stayed true to form, valuing experience (read that college players) in making switch-hitting Vanderbilt junior outfielder Bryan Reynolds the 59th pick of the 2016 MLB Draft.

Because Reynolds has a year ofeligibility left, signability may be an issue. The Giants don't have a big draft pool to throw around, and Reynolds does have the option of playing out his senior season and trying to up the ante.

Reynolds is one of the more complete position players in this year's draft. According to his coach, Tim Corbin, Reynolds is a "very talented young man who possesses multiple skills sets. Bryan [can] virtually play any position on the field but has transformed himself into an accomplished center fielder."

At the plate, Reynolds has a smooth swing from both sides, but has a noticeable hole in his swing from the left side. He starts out with a relatively closed stance, takes a step in, and then loads his hands, limiting his coverage of the lower inside corner of the plate. Reynolds has had problems covering that quadrant throughout his career, tending to either swing over pitches or weakly ground out.

One scouting report credits him with plus power, enough to stroke 15 to 20 home runs a year. Reynolds takes a gap-to-gap approach to hitting, spraying the ball to all fields. He’s disciplined; he maintained a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and in 2016 upped that to almost break even with 56 strikeouts and 46 walks.

Reynolds plays a smooth center field, a position at which he is likely to begin his pro career. He does not have plus speed but takes good routes and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Some scouts see him eventually adding some size which, coupled with an average arm makes a shift to left likely, and it’s not like the Giants need a solution to the revolving door in left, do they?