Cincinnati Reds positional preview vs. NL Central: left field

3. Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates

Boy, if you don’t know the name Bryan Reynolds, you better quickly do some research. Last year’s rookie broke through in a big way for the Pittsburgh Pirates and one of the better up-and-coming young players in the National League Central.

A former second-round pick of the San Francisco Giants, Reynolds made his big league debut last season. The switch-hitter hit .314/.377/.503 with 16 homers and 68 runs batted in. I don’t think there’s much argument that Reynolds was Pittsburgh’s best player in 2019 with Kevin Newman getting some love as well.

None of the tools in Reynolds bag are going to blow most scouts away, but the 25-year-old Vanderbilt alum does a lot of things well. He can hit for power and has a glove that plays all over the outfield. Reynolds started 68 games in left field last season and is likely to find a home there in 2020 as well.

2. Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs

Hey, it’s every Reds fans favorite player from Middletown. All kidding aside, Kyle Schwarber put up some big numbers in 2019. The left-handed hitting outfielder punished the ball, slashing .250/.339/.531 with 38 round-trippers and 92 RBIs. The former IU Hoosier is entering 2020 with an eye towards a big payday.

Schwarber signed a one-year deal just north of $7M for the 2020 season and has one year of arbitration left before becoming a free agent. The Chicago Cubs may be looking to deal Schwarber during the upcoming season, as their core group of players are beginning to become quite expensive.