Mark Reynolds is non-tendered by the Baltimore Orioles - MLB Update
The Baltimore Orioles have eventually non-tendered first baseman Mark Reynolds after much speculation, making him a free agent. The club had earlier declined the $11 million option on the player and due to lack of negotiation, decided not to offer him arbitration.
Reynolds said that he will certainly have some teams interested in him and he has learnt a great deal from this experience. "I wish [becoming a free agent] was under better circumstances, but I feel like I have value, and I think other teams feel that way.
I've learned that this is a business from this," he said.
Mark’s 2012 season was a mixed bag. He struggled early on and was able to get some good numbers in the last couple of months in 2012 season. Overall, he posted a .221 batting average and a .335 on-base percentage with 23 home-runs and 69 runs batted in.
This was his sixth season in the Major League. Reynolds has so far represented the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Baltimore Orioles in the Majors. His association with the Orioles continued for two years. Reynolds has a career batting average of .235 and a
.332 on-base percentage. The player averages over 30 home-runs and 83 RBI’s per season in his career.
He was quite clear about the fact that Baltimore is a city he and his family thoroughly like. He also praised the fans for the enthusiasm they showed for the team. He was well liked in the Orioles’ club house. During 2012, he played through several injuries
and was also hit by a pitch a few times.
"I enjoyed my two years there. It was definitely fun playing in the American League East and playing on those big stages every night," he said.
The current free agent market for a first baseman is rather thin but Reynolds should certainly have teams interested in signing him. He has generally been productive as a hitter. Mark believes that he will be back to his best and 2012 was an exception where
he had a bad time.
"I definitely want to get back to my career-normal 30-plus homers and 80 to 90 RBIs -- obviously, I want to do that. The motivation is not to prove the Orioles wrong, it's just my personal goals," Reynolds said.
Mark’s 2011 performance with the bat was quite good where he led the ball club with 86 RBI’s, 75 walks and 37 home-runs but was defensively week and committed 31 errors, the third most by any Orioles’ player in a single season.
Mark Reynolds is a good quality hitter but he will certainly look to be more consistent and also better with the glove in the field. The 29-year-old has a long career ahead of him and the lessons he has recently learnt should help him for a long time to
come.
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