From the Crow's Nest: Vanderbilt OF Bryan Reynolds

Welcome back to 'From the Crow's Nest', a series in which we look at a few players the Mariners could potentially select with the eleventh overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. Last week, we took a look at Connor Jones, a pitcher out of Virginia. This week, we'll be looking at Bryan Reynolds, an outfielder out of Vanderbilt whose plate skills will leave you drooling.

At A Glance

The Rundown

Reynolds might be the most polished position player in the draft. His plate vision and discipline is incredibly advanced for a college hitter and is one of the primary reasons he has an OBP north of .400 for his career (including a .459 mark so far in his junior season). He swings the bat well from both sides of the plate and has shown signs of added pop this year, posting a 1.070 OPS over a modest 113 at-bats. In addition to his bat, Reynolds possesses good speed and instincts on the bases and figures to be a leadoff or number two hitter in the future.

Defensively, Reynolds is a plus defender but lacks significant arm strength. Per his scouting report from MLB.com:

...he uses good jumps and routes to cover plenty of ground in center field. If he has to move to an outfield corner, his below-average arm likely will relegate him to left field.

If you really want to see what Reynolds is capable of, head to the 22-second mark of this video:

Ultimately, Reynolds' stock could come down to whether his power numbers manage to last over the course of an entire season. He really hopped onto the radar after posting a .470 OBP in the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer, but he slugged just .395 and likely left something to be desired for teams picking in the top-ten. If the power surge persists (he currently is sporting a .292 ISO), there's a decent chance he's gone before the Mariners ever get on the clock. If regression occurs, however, the Mariners could find one of the best hitters in the country has fallen into their lap.

A ceiling for Bryan Reynolds hasn't quite been established, but a high-OBP, speedy switch hitter who can spray the ball to all fields while providing plus defense would be a perfectly fine addition to the farm system.