Gordon Craig Reynolds (born December 27, 1952) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB)

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

who was an inaugural member of the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. He batted left-handed and threw right.

Early life

As a senior at Reagan High School in , Reynolds was named the Greater Houston High School Athlete of the Year. He was drafted out of high school by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in the first round of the 1971 Major League Baseball draft.

MLB career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Reynolds batted a solid .318 in his first professional season with the

Gulf Coast League Pirates The Florida Complex League Pirates are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The team plays its h ...

, but with no power, and he committed 25 errors on the field. His game improved substantially in all areas by , when he batted .299 with six

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

and logged a .957

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

while splitting the season at Double-A & Triple-A. He emerged as one of the Pirates' top minor league prospects, batting .294 over five minor league seasons when he made his major league debut in . He spent the season in Triple-A with the

Charleston Charlies The Charleston Charlies were a Triple-A minor league baseball team located in Charleston, West Virginia. Two separate Charlies franchises played in the International League from 1971 to 1983. The team was the relocated Columbus Jets. In 1977 the ...

before being called up to the Pirates when rosters expanded in September.

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners selected Grant Jackson from the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

with their eleventh pick in the

1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft The 1976 MLB Expansion Draft was held November 5, 1976. This expansion draft was conducted by Major League Baseball to stock the major league rosters of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, new major league expansion franchises establis ...

. A month later, they traded Jackson to the Pirates for Reynolds and

Jimmy Sexton Jimmy Dale Sexton (born December 15, 1951) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals. Sexton signed his fi ...

. Reynolds immediately became the starting shortstop in Seattle, where his light hitting usually had him at or near the bottom of the Seattle batting order, however, his lack of

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

and ability to move runners over landed him in the second spot in the batting order early in the season. He was batting .306 with three home runs, 29 RBI and 27

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...

at the 1978 All-Star break to be named the Mariners' sole representative on the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

squad, but did not appear in the game. After that season, he was acquired by his hometown

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

in exchange for future AL strikeout champion

Floyd Bannister Floyd Franklin Bannister (born June 10, 1955) is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros (–), Seattle Mariners (–), Chicago White Sox (–), Kansas City ...

Houston Astros

After

Garry Templeton Garry Lewis Templeton (born March 24, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player and minor league manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and New York Mets from 1976 t ...

declined his invitation to the 1979 All-Star Game,

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Tommy Lasorda Thomas Charles Lasorda (September 22, 1927 – January 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the Nati ...

added Reynolds to his team. As a result, Reynolds became the only shortstop in MLB history to be selected to the AL and NL squads in consecutive seasons. He batted .265 his first season with the Astros, but more importantly, he helped solidify the Houston

infield Infield is a sports term whose definition depends on the sport in whose context it is used. Baseball In baseball, the diamond, as well as the area immediately beyond it, has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-c ...

with a .965

. After the season, he was presented with the

Danny Thompson Daniel Henry Edward Thompson (born 4 April 1939) is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Mart ...

Memorial Award for exemplifying

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

spirit in the Major Leagues. "When you receive an award like that, you’re humbled by it," Reynolds said. Reynolds suffered through a subpar season, however, the Astros won their first division crown in franchise history. On May 16, , Reynolds tied the major-league record with three

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

in one game and led the NL with a dozen three-baggers that season. He ended the season tied for the league lead with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

' Gene Richards with twelve in spite of the strike-shortened season. He played with the Houston Astros for 11 seasons, finishing second only to

Roger Metzger Roger Henry Metzger (pronounced "Met-ZEE-ger", born October 10, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played most of this career for the Houston Astros (1971–1978). He also played for the Chicago Cubs (1970) and the San Francisco ...

in all-time games played at shortstop for the team. In retirement he entered the world of wealth management in Houston, partnering with former Astros teammate

Terry Puhl Terry Stephen Puhl (born July 8, 1956) is a Canadian former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a outfielder from 1977 to 1991, most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros where he helped the franc ...

. He is married to his wife Josey and has three children, Ashlyn, Kyle and Reagan.

Later life

Reynolds currently serves as a pastor at Second Baptist Church North Campus in Houston.

Sources

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Craig 1952 births Living people American League All-Stars Baseball players from Houston Charleston Charlies players Gastonia Pirates players Gulf Coast Pirates players Houston Astros players Major League Baseball shortstops National League All-Stars Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Pittsburgh Pirates players Salem Pirates players Seattle Mariners players Thetford Mines Pirates players