Harold Reynolds

Harold Craig Reynolds (born November 26, 1960) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He played from 1983–1994, primarily for the Seattle Mariners.

High school
Reynolds was born in Eugene, Oregon and attended Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon, starring in football, basketball and baseball. He was a member of the 3A State Championship football team in 1978. He graduated from Corvallis High in 1979, and was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

College
Although Reynolds was drafted in the 4th round of the amateur draft on June 5, 1979, by the San Diego Padres, he elected not to sign and joined the Long Beach City College baseball team.

The following summer, on June 3, 1980, Reynolds was selected in the 1st round (2nd pick) of the amateur draft (Secondary Phase) by the Seattle Mariners. Reynolds signed with the Mariners after one season with Cal State Long Beach.

Professional career
Reynolds spent several seasons in the minor leagues, playing in Lynn, Massachusetts for the Lynn Sailors(AA), before being called up by the Mariners and making his major league debut on September 2, 1983. The following season he played AAA ball before being called up again in September 1984. The season of 1985 was his official rookie season in Major League Baseball.

Reynolds was an All-Star in 1987 and 1988 led the American League in stolen bases with 60 in 1987, in triples with 11 in 1988, and in at-bats with 642 in 1990. He was the only player other than Rickey Henderson to lead the American League in stolen bases during any season in the 1980s. In 1986, he played in Puerto Rico with the Mayaguez Indians.

In 1991, Reynolds was a recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award. The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball player selected for his character and charitable contributions to his community.

On October 26, 1992, he was granted free agency and signed with the Baltimore Orioles on December 11, 1992. After one season with the Orioles, he was again granted free agency on October 29, 1993. Reynolds signed with the San Diego Padres on January 28, 1994 before being traded to the California Angels on March 29, 1994 for Hilly Hathaway. The 1994 season was Reynolds final season in the major leagues.

During a 12-year baseball career, Reynolds batted .258 with 1,233 hits and 353 Runs batted in.

A superb fielder, Reynolds regularly led the league in double plays turned and won three Gold Glove awards for his play at second base.

ESPN
Reynolds was a lead studio analyst on ESPN's Baseball Tonight from 1996–2006. He would appear at major baseball events such on the ESPN set including the All-Star Game and the World Series. He also was a commentator for ESPN's coverage of the College World Series and Little League World Series. He was also a two time winning coach in the Taco Bell All Star Celebrity Softball game held during the MLB All Star break. He was known for telling his players to "let it all hang out."

Termination at ESPN
On July 24, 2006, Harold Reynolds was fired from ESPN. The ESPN spokeswoman confirmed that Reynolds "is no longer with the network" but did not give a reason for the departure. "Three people who work at ESPN and familiar with the case said the cause was a pattern of sexual harassment." Reynolds called this incident "a total misunderstanding" and that "I gave a woman a hug and I felt like it was misinterpreted."

It was announced on October 30, 2006, that Reynolds planned to sue ESPN after having tried "everything possible to handle this situation quietly behind the scenes," while stating that he is seeking the money owed to him under the remainder of his contract, including interest and lost earnings. The Smoking Gun obtained a copy of Reynolds' contract that was filed as part of the lawsuit. Reynolds' lawsuit is for $5 million, roughly equivalent to the value of the contract Reynolds signed that was scheduled to cover the 2006–2011 seasons.

ESPN settled the case in April 2008, giving Reynolds a seven figure settlement (Portland Tribune, April 29, 2008).

Post-ESPN Career
On June 11, 2007, Reynolds officially joined MLB.com as a baseball commentator. Reynolds would settle his lawsuit with ESPN on April 16, 2008. Nine days later, Reynolds officially joined Mets pre-game and post-game coverage on SportsNet New York as a baseball commentator. Reynolds also worked with TBS on their Sunday Baseball telecasts, as well as for their coverage of the 2008 MLB Playoffs.

MLB Network
Since its launch on January 1, 2009, Reynolds has been an analyst on MLB Network. Reynolds regularly appears on MLB Tonight, Quick Pitch, Diamond Demo and MLB Network's breaking news and special event coverage, including the All-Star Game, Postseason and World Series. Reynolds was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award for his work as a studio analyst on MLB Network in 2010 and 2011.

Sports education
Harold Reynolds also provides an in-game tutorial on how to hit, field, and pitch in the Triple Play Baseball and MVP Baseball series. Harold has also started an organization called HR Enterprises.

Family
Harold Reynolds' brother Don was an outfielder who played parts of two seasons with the San Diego Padres.