Harrold Reynolds “Pittsburgh is finally turning things around”

During Pirates Pre-game on Tuesday, Rob King chatted with Harrold Reynolds from MLB Network. They discussed the Roberto Clemente award and what it means for a player to be nominated. (Reynolds received the award in 1991) After that though, he was asked what he thought about the Pirates future.

Rob King: “One team that I think the Pirates would love to emmulate is the Tampa Bay Rays. Another team dealing with a small payroll, going toe-to-toe with big market teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox. What is your thought on what Tampa has been able to do?”

Harrold Reynolds: “Well they did a great job of drafting top quality players and then be able to move them through the organization. When you can look back now and see what Carl Crawford’s been able to do, Longoria, Upton, the foundation of that organization and then you go onto David Price and Neiman, all the pitchers. They’ve done a great job. And then from there, they were able to make key trades. I look at the Pirates and I see them finally turning this this around. I’m sure it’s been quite frustrating in Pittsburgh. If you look at Friday night and their winning combination of guys that did things: Walker hit his 10th home run, you had Tabata have a big contribution, Alvarez and then you have McCutchen out in the outfield. That’s the core of this club right there. If you can continue to build around those young guys, Pittsburgh is finally going to turn this thing around.”

Reynolds On the Reds being a contender now and in the years to come:

“It just shows you how quickly you can turn that around. You look at the Cincinnati Reds two years ago, there’s no way anyone is thinking they are going to be the top team in the Central. So the Pirates, believe it or not, may seem like they are light years away but they are this close to turning it around with some key acquisitions. They’ve got some great young players and should be able to turn this around pretty quick.”