Reichstein a potent bat with rejuvenated passion
Byron Reichstein has altered his approach at the plate — and brought the fun back to baseball — to lead the Majors offense this summer.
Reichstein, 28, has been a key middle-of-the-order bat for the Majors this year. He owned a .413 batting average through his first 13 games. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
Trailing 2-0 in the seventh inning, the Hamilton Cardinals found themselves with two runners on and nobody out with London’s Byron Reichstein due to hit. It was the final day of July, well into the night at Labatt Park. A mound visit ensued – the type you expect in a key situation with the opponent’s cleanup hitter due up next.
The entire infield gathered at the mound along with the pitcher, Chris Lazar, and the team’s pitching coach. The catcher, Lazar, and the coach looked over at Reichstein while discussing strategy. He’d already had two hits and an RBI on the day.
“With Lazar, I’ve faced him so many times, I either have his timing or I’m out of whack with it, because he’s a really good pitcher. So, it’s been either hit or miss,” said Reichstein.
This time, it was hit.
With a 2-2 count, Reichstein turned on a two-strike slider, one that had stayed up in the zone, and crushed it over the right-field wall at Labatt Park for a three-run homer to put the Majors up 5-0. They won the game 5-2, bouncing back from a loss the day before.
“Earlier, I had talked to Hayden (Jaco), who had hit a home run, and we were talking about our approach and how to face (Lazar),” said Reichstein, who upped his batting average to .421 with the long ball. “I kind of took what we talked about up to the plate. I really just turned on that slider, and the rest is history. It was gone.”
It was Reichstein’s third home run of the season, after a two-homer game in Welland earlier in the month. And it was an at-bat that highlighted Reichstein’s altered approach in 2021 – one that is focused on being more aggressive.
“This year I’m going up there with the mindset that I want to do damage instead of being passive,” Reichstein said, noting that it was the Majors’ manager, Roop Chanderdat, who urged the outfielder, during the preseason, to be more aggressive. “This year he wants me to attack pitches early in the count, whereas in past years I would usually let a pitch go, get behind in the count, and then try to work from behind.”
It’s not that the more passive approach hasn’t worked. Reichstein has been one of the better hitters on the Majors for several years. He hit a very solid .358 in both 2014 and 2016, while also eclipsing the .300 mark in 2017 (.327) and 2018 (.308).
No doubt, he got his hits. And he drew walks, too. But he also struck out a lot – often as a result of consistently being in deep, two-strike counts.
Reichstein’s moonshot home run on July 31 came with two strikes, but he also took a hack at the 2-1 pitch prior. And, perhaps most notably, his two-strike swing wasn’t one looking to drop in an opposite field base hit. It was one looking to do damage.
“I said to Byron, ‘Look, you put on a show in batting practice pulling baseballs. I’d like you to pull some baseballs (in games),’” said Chanderdat. “He’s such a good opposite field hitter, he’s got that down pat. So, I’ve said, guys throw you inside, I’m good with you pulling that baseball.
“The first thing I said to him after that home run was that the location was what I was impressed by. I like my chances with him a little more free swinging, putting the ball in play. He hits it so hard, good things are going to happen.”
Certainly, good things have been happening for Reichstein at the plate in 2021. Entering action Thursday (August 12), the 28-year-old veteran was hitting .413, second on the team only to Humberto Ruiz’s .432. His 12 RBIs were one shy of Carlos Arteaga’s 13. But it’s his slugging percentage (and OPS), a team-leading .674 and 1.155, respectively, that really tell the story. Those numbers point to that damage that Reichstein has been looking to do offensively. And it shows how far he’s come as a hitter during his Majors career.
Reichstein, an outfielder by trade, has also played a bit of first base in 2021 — while hitting in the middle of the order for the Majors. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
“When I started, back in 2012, I was more of a get on base and steal guy,” he said. “Now I’m more of a middle-of-the-lineup guy, with gap-to-gap, over-the-fence power and the ability to drive in runs.”
Added strength has helped. As a youngster playing for the Majors during his summers home from college ball in the U.S., Reichstein, a St. Thomas, Ont. native, weighed in at about 190 pounds. He’s 225 now, and the added strength has certainly put more power behind his swing. But he’s also developed as a hitter in the IBL over many seasons.
And he’s matured, too.
“That’s probably the most important thing that’s happened to Byron,” said Chanderdat. “I’ve watched him grow into a man … from a young man into a man. He’s really figured it out. Byron’s a bigtime hitter, a bigtime player, and he’s kind of turned into one of our leaders, along with Cleveland (Brownlee) and some other guys.”
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There was a time when it wasn’t fun anymore.
It was the summer of 2019, and Byron Reichstein realized he didn’t really want to be there. He’d played six years with the Majors already, and he’d accomplished a lot – even as far back as 2014, when he finished second on the team in RBIs. He did the same in 2016, when he also led the entire league in doubles. In 2017, he took over the top RBI spot on the team, and he had another 37 RBIs in 2018 (and eight home runs).
But he’d hit a wall.
Unlike previous years, Reichstein didn’t do much during the offseason heading into the 2019 campaign. He didn’t have the motivation, and he figured his natural abilities would be enough. They weren’t, and the result was a down year – both statistically (a .266 batting average) and mentally.
“I wasn’t there. Like, I was physically there, but my mind wasn’t,” Reichstein said. “I kind of just wanted to get there and get out of there. I wasn’t prepared for the season. I didn’t put in the hard work, and it really caught up to me quick.”
Baseball is a game, but it can also feel like work when playing at a high level – especially if you’re struggling. Baseball felt like work for Reichstein in 2019, and he was happy for the season to end.
He was prepared to return for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to that. With the entire season wiped out, Reichstein spent his summer not playing baseball for the first time since he was 3 years old.
“The year off really got me thinking. I was working in a factory, and these people have seen me grow up from a young age, because my parents both worked at the factory. Everyone always talked to me about, ‘Oh, it sucks that baseball’s not being played this year. Do you miss it?’ And I realized, yeah, you know, I really do miss it.”
The time away rejuvenated Reichstein.
“It was like my battery was recharged. And the past offseason, getting ready for this year, I was amped up because I wanted to get back and play … play in front of the Friday night crowd, hear the people chant and cheer, and all the stuff around baseball, the baseball noise. It’s something that I’d missed for a year.”
The passion is back, and so is Reichstein’s hitting prowess. And he’s been a vital part of the Majors’ offense – to say nothing of his solid defense in right field – as the team has surged out to a first-place start in the IBL in 2021. Entering action Thursday (August 12), London held a record of 11-3, a half-game ahead of the Kitchener Panthers. The Majors’ +49 run differential was also tops in the league. Reichstein’s .413 average? Seventh-best in the IBL.
And he’s enjoying the game again.
“Honestly, this year is probably the most fun I’ve ever had with the sport of baseball. Everything around the sport … my personal life, the team, my mental side. I’m walking into it knowing that baseball is baseball, and I’m there to have fun.
“We have a really good team. Our chemistry is really good, our clubhouse talk and chatter is up there, and we’re always backing each other up, encouraging each other. As long as we can keep our arms healthy, our bats going, and keep our minds right, there shouldn’t be really much that can stop us. I think this could be the year for us.”
CIRCLING THE BASES
The Majors have another busy weekend ahead, with games Thursday thru Sunday (four in total). London enters action Thursday on a four-game winning streak. The action gets underway Thursday (Aug. 12) in Welland, followed by a home game at Labatt Park Friday (7:35pm) against Hamilton, and then road games Saturday (in Brantford) and Sunday (in Hamilton) … In fact, the Majors’ second-half schedule will be dominated with games on the road, as 10 of their remaining 16 regular season games will take place away from Labatt Park … The Majors’ pitching continues to stand out this season, particularly their top two starters, Pedro De Los Santos and Owen Boon, who are 1-2 in the league, respectively, in ERA (and wins) entering action Thursday (Aug. 12). De Los Santos (5-0) has a miniscule 0.68 ERA, while Boon’s (4-1) stands at 2.32 … As a team, the Majors have allowed by far the fewest runs (52) in the IBL thus far. Braeden Ferrington (5 appearances, one start) has been very strong out of the bullpen, posting a 1.10 ERA over 16 1/3 innings of work. Jarryd Lund, meanwhile, has collected two saves … Offensively, Humberto Ruiz has been a catalyst, batting .432 (19-for-44) in his first 12 games. Reichstein is tied for tops in hits (19) … Carlos Arteaga (.347), Chris McQueen (.333) and Hayden Jaco (.319) are also over the .300 mark, with McQueen leading the team in runs scored (16), walks (9) and stolen bases (6). Cleveland Brownlee’s average sits under .200 (.196), but his three home runs are tied with Reichstein for tops on the team.
The London Majors are looking to bounce back — in a big way — from a disappointing 2023 campaign following back-to-back championships. Do they have what it takes to contend again in 2024? …