The other day I was listening to The Dan Le Batard Show on the radio. They started talking about Mark Reynolds and his debut with the Washington Nationals. He hit 2 home runs in the game. An amazing feat by any measure. They polled the question, “Does Mark Reynold hit 2 home runs every time he debuts for a new team?” Here’s what the voting looked like.
That got me to thinking. What does Mark Reynolds debuts look like…statistically. Well…
On May 16, 2007, Reynold debuted with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He went 2-3 with a single, double, walk, and 2 RBI’s. Reynolds spent 4 seasons with the D-Backs, 2007-2010. In that time he hit 2 homers in a game on 9 times.
2007 – 25 May
2008 – 7 April, 31 May, 8 June
2009 – 20 May, 25 June, 3 August
2010- 1 May & 30 August
On December 10, 2010, Reynolds was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. He made his debut with them on April 1, 2011. His performance that day was a little underwhelming as he was 0-3 with 1 strike out.
Reynolds spent 3 seasons with the Orioles. He hit 2 homers in a game 9 times. So far at least he’s consistent.
2011 – 11 June, 2 July, 4 July, 7 August, 21 September,
2012 – 14 August, 31 August, 2 September, & 6 September
On December 18, 2012, Reynolds signed with the Cleveland Indians. He made his debut with them on April 2, 2013. For a second debut he went 0-3 with a walk, strike out and scored a run.
Reynolds did hit 2 homers in a game once while with the Tribe on April 7, 2013. Though he didn’t spend much time in Cleveland as he was released on August 12, 2013. He didn’t spend much time on the market as the very next day he was signed by the New York Yankees.
His debut with the Bronx Bombers was his best to date as he went 2-5 with a single, home run, 3 RBI’s, and a strike out. However, he never hit 2 homers in a game while with the Yankees.
October 31, 2013, Reynolds was granted free agency from the Yankees. It wasn’t until January 17, 2014 that he Signed with the Milwaukee Brewers.
His Milwaukee Brewers debut came on April 1, 2014. True to form he went 0-3 with a walk and 2 strike outs. Reynolds spent 1 season with the Brewers. In that time he was able to hit 2 home runs in a game twice.
23 May & 23 July, 2014.
Much like the previous season Reynolds was granted free agency on November 4, 2014. He only had to wait a month until he signed on with a new team. On December 11, 2014, he signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals April 5, 2015.
This debut wasn’t as bad as previous debuts as he went 0-1 with 1 strike out. Reynolds did hit 2 home runs in a game once on July 11, 2015.
He didn’t spend much time in the Gateway City because on November 2, 2015 Reynolds was granted free agency. As much of a repeat as recent off-seasons he signed rather quickly. On December 16, 2015 Reynolds signed with the Colorado Rockies.
Reynolds made his Rockies debut on April 4, 2016. He went, a decent, 1-4 with a single, walk, and strike out. While spending 2 seasons in the Mile High air did little to help his home run production. He hit 2 home runs in a game on just 3 occassions.
2016 – 20 June
2017 – 6 June & 23 July
Reynolds most recent foray into free agency lasted a little longer than he probably would have expected. He was granted free agency on November 2, 2017. But it wasn’t until April 17, 2018 that the Washington Nationals decided to take a chance on him.
He made his spectacular debut with the Nationals on May 13, 2018. He went 3-4 with a single, 2 home runs, 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored. A debut that anyone would be proud to hang their hat on.
Thus the question is answered. Sure it’s fun to believe that he magically hit 2 homers for every team he debuted with. But numbers don’t lie. I’m not throwing shade at him. I’m just sayin’.
