Bryan Reynolds (OF, PIT) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

Nicklaus Gaut profiles Pittsburg outfielder Bryan Reynolds as a waiver wire pickup or add target for Week 17 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season as the Pirates outfielder continues to have an elite batting average.

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues

OWNED IN: 31% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Maybe it's because he plays in Pittsburg, or maybe it's because he spells his first name with a "y", but Bryan Reynolds gets no respect and is still available in 70% of leagues. This in spite of the fact that if Reynolds qualified with 15 more plate-appearances than his current 285, his .339 AVG would be second in all of baseball behind only Jeff McNeil's .345 AVG. While he did slow down heading into the All-Star break - collecting only five hits in the nine games prior - Reynolds has heated back up, collecting multiple hits in four of the Pirate's past six games.

Reynolds is particularly valuable in leagues with weekly lineup moves, as he has virtually no splits. His average, strike-out rate, wRC+, and OPS are all virtually identical versus either hand; and the only significant difference is an ISO that's 55 points higher versus left-handers and a walk-rate that's seven points higher versus righties.

This coming week, Reynolds and the Pirates have four games at home versus the Cardinals, followed by a three-game set in New York against the Mets. Batting .400 over the past week, pick up Reynolds now for more than an average shot in the arm.