Pirates' Bryan Reynolds Was Unluckiest Hitter in 2026
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds had a solid season at the plate, but it should've been better for the veteran.
Reynolds was the unluckiest home run hitter in baseball during the 2026 season, losing about 8.2 home runs due to stadium/weather effects, per Ballpark Pal.
Ballpark Pal is an MLB research platform that looks into park factors, including their dimensions, and game day situations with the weather and how that impacts things.
It's a tough break for Reynolds, who could've had one of his best power seasons, had he just been a bit luckier.
The unluckiest home run hitter in 2026 was Bryan Reynolds, who lost an estimated 8.2 HRs to stadium and weather effects
— Ballpark Pal (@BallparkPal) October 2, 2026
The Top 10 Unluckiest:
Bryan Reynolds: 17 HRs (-8.2)
Riley Greene: 21 HRs (-7.7)
Alec Burleson: 26 HRs (-7.4)
Mike Trout: 22 HRs (-6.3)
Miguel Vargas: 33 HRs… pic.twitter.com/SvobMq46Js
Why Was Reynolds So Unlucky?
One of the main reasons for Reynolds not having as many home runs that he should've is because he plays in PNC Park.
Reynolds would've only had 14 home runs this season if he played at PNC Park all year, per Statcast, the lowest of any MLB ballpark, compared to the 17 he hit in 2026.
If Reynolds had played exclusively at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, he would've had 28 home runs, per Statcast, twice as many.
PNC Park is far more pitcher-friendly, especially for right-handed batters, who face dimensions of 325 feet at left field, but 383 feet in left-center field, 410 feet to deep left-center field, known as the "notch", and 399 feet to center field.
Pirates legend Andrew McCutchen suggested moving the left field wall in, not too surprising for a right-handed batter.
Right field is closer, 325 feet, and right-center field isn't too far either, 375 feet, but the right field wall, also known as the Roberto Clemente Wall, is 21 feet high in honor of the franchise legend's uniform number.
Reynolds, a switch-hitter, either has to combat a much farther distance in left field or a tall wall in right field, both of which make it difficult to hit home runs at PNC Park.
Reynolds Finishes With Solid Season in 2026
The Pirates outfielder had a good showing this season, even despite the lost home runs from his final stat line.
Reynolds slashed .261/.365/.424 for an OPS of .789, with 155 hits, 40 doubles, three triples, 72 RBI and 89 walks to 162 strikeouts.
He played all 162 games, the first Pirate to do that since Jason Bay in 2005, and led MLB in doubles, with Freddy Sanchez the last in 2006, when he won the National League Batting Title.
Reynolds was excellent in the first half of the season, .283/.400/.477 for an OPS of .877, with 14 home runs, but struggled in the second half, .229/.312/.347 for an OPS of .659, with only three home runs.
The Pirates veteran will enter his ninth-year in 2027 at 32 and look to finally end the long postseason absence.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.