Throwback Thursday: Harold Reynolds

You know you’ve seen him before. And yes, it was most likely on the MLB Network analyzing why baseball players can’t play defense as well as he can. At that point you remember. It’s Harold Reynolds. The best second basemen our team has ever seen.

Seattle may currently have Robinson Cano, the number one ranked second basemen in the game. But he hasn’t even been in a Mariners jersey for a full season yet. Harold Reynolds played 12 seasons in MLB and 10 of them with the Seattle Mariners. He was a speedster on the bases, and represented the face of our defense his entire career.

Harold was a wizard when it came to playing second base. It may be a weird stat to bring up, but he typically led the league in double plays. If that ball was hit anywhere near the middle of the field, and runners were on base; Reynolds would turn it into a double play. He was every pitchers best friend.

More importantly, Reynolds won three gold gloves throughout his career. This means there was no better defensive second basemen in the American League better than Harold Reynolds… three times. He put the Mariners on the map when it came to defense, and paved the way for future defensive gems to play in our city.

In 1987, Reynolds led the league in stolen bases. Let me put this in perspective for you. When you think of stolen bases during the 80s, only one player comes to mind; Rickey Henderson. This means in 1987, Harold Reynolds stole more bases then the greatest of all time.

Reynolds took advantage of Henderson’s hamstring injury, and finished the year with 60 stolen bases. He is currently sitting third on the Seattle Mariners all-time list with 228.

Reynolds did more than just steal a ton of bases and flash his three gold gloves. He was also a two time All-Star, representing the Mariners in the 1987 and 1988 Mid-Summer Classics. In 1992, Reynolds won The Roberto Clemente award for his massive influence and participation in his local community. He was well known as an all-star on and off the field to the city he called ‘home.’

His MLB career didn’t just end when he retired from the game in 1994. Reynolds ended up working for ESPN as the lead studio analyst on Baseball Tonight. His relationship with ESPN eventually came to a controversial end in 2006, but he didn’t let that be the end of his broadcasting career. Reynolds picked up right where he left off when he joined the MLB Network in 2009 as one of their top analysts.

You can currently tune in and witness Harold teaching his defensive tips on MLB Tonight, commenting on the Quick Pitch highlight reel, and giving us breaking news throughout the entire baseball season.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Fred McGriff wasn’t the only baseball player that graced us with an instructional video. Harold also made cameo appearances in video games such as Triple Play Baseball or MVP baseball with in-game tutorials.

The Seattle Mariners were not known for having one of the greatest offensive teams in the 1980s, but Harold Reynolds did make the defensive side of the game worth watching. His presence was definitely felt on the base pads, and his gold glove will always live as one of the best in Mariners history.