Reynolds makes Rox: 'Good to be back'

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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Rockies announced Tuesday morning that veteran Mark Reynolds will make the 25-man roster just before Colorado played its final spring game of the season, which ended in a 5-5 tie with Minnesota.

The first baseman signed a Minor League deal with the team in January. He will make $1 million this season.

"It's good to be back," Reynolds said. "There's very few teams that I would have played for this year -- this is one of them. I enjoyed being here in '16 and '17, and I feel like this team has a real shot of going deep in October. And I wanted to be back around these guys and be back in this organization, and I was fortunate enough to make the team and get one more shot."

Reynolds played for the Nationals last year in a bench role. He hit .248 in 86 games, driving in 40 runs and hitting 13 homers.

Reynolds expects to have the same role this year, giving relief to Daniel Murphy at first base when needed or when the matchup is right.

Reynolds said his two years in Colorado really left an impact on him, not to mention that he may have had one of the most complete years of his career just two seasons ago -- in 2017, he recorded 30 home runs and 97 RBIs with a .267 batting average.

"I think I played pretty well, but it was more just the guys in the clubhouse, and you know, I missed it last year," Reynolds said. "It's good to be back and be around these guys, and you know, you're with these guys a lot so it's good that you like them, and I just contributed when I can."

Reynolds hasn't exactly lit it up in Spring Training, hitting .125 and going 0-for-3 on Tuesday. Despite that, he believes he's seeing the ball well and putting together good at-bats.

"Good," said Reynolds of how he’s felt this spring. "I mean, I haven’t had results, but I feel like I've had good at-bats. And you know, it's pretty cliche, but you don't want to waste them in spring, right? I had good at-bats, I feel like I'm ready and we'll see how we start Thursday."

Manager Bud Black feels Reynolds can be an asset to the club over the 162-game stretch.

"He'll be a bat off the bench. He'll also get some starts against left-handed starting pitching. He'll be a versatile component where we know that he can play first base, in a pinch he can move around the infield -- [we'll] probably stay away from that, but it's a dangerous bat off the bench in a pinch-hitting role and spot starting," Black said.

Reynolds will have the second-most Major League service time on the club behind catcher Chris Iannetta, and he believes his veteran presence can be an asset for a fairly young team.

"[I can] be the guy in the clubhouse that keeps the mood light, keep guys focused," Reynolds said, "and they can lean on my experience if they need to.

"I've been there, done that a lot. Not much I haven't seen. Keeping the energy up. Positive vibes -- stuff like that. These guys know I'm here if they ever need anything."

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Gray tunes up

Jon Gray made his sixth start of the spring and went three innings, surrendering three runs on five hits, walking two and striking out four.

The plan for him was to throw either three innings or 50 pitches in his final outing.

Gray has been strong this spring, pitching to a 3.48 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings pitched.

Gray had a rough first inning, giving up two homers -- one to Nelson Cruz and the other to C.J. CronC.J.. Gray settled down and worked two strong frames to close out his spring.

"First inning, just a couple fastballs got flat," Gray said. "I noticed it in the 'pen a little bit. Fought it a little bit in the first inning. But I felt like the second and third inning, I got back to throwing better fastballs. I felt that they were truer, harder, well located. But I just felt that that last inning was a little out of whack with the fastball."

Gray said he had tweaked his pre-start ritual, not picking up a ball yesterday before his start today, and he said that it may have made an impact on getting going, but that once he did he felt great.

A goal of Gray's this season is to mix in his slider with his fastball, a pitch he feels can be a true weapon in his arsenal.

"I want to put more emphasis on the slider. It's my bread and butter. It's more like my fastball. I use it more, so I just want to make that a better pitch. I feel that there were way too many mistakes last year with it," Gray said.

Gray threw a wicked slider down and away in the first inning to Max Kepler in an 0-2 count, getting him to chase for strike three, an example of what Gray wants to feature in 2019.

Does Gray feel he's ready for the season that begins Thursday in Miami?

"I am where I want to be. But I want to continually grow," said Gray. "There are still some areas that need to get better. I want to get better out of the stretch still. I'd like to be able to hit the ground running every single game from Inning 1, but that's something I'm really going to have to lock in on this week too and make sure I'm getting where I need to be [in my] pregame routine."

It’s no secret Gray has the stuff to be an ace. It's just putting it all together, a sentiment that Black feels as well.

"Jon had a really good spring," Black said. "I think for Jon, it's just fastball command -- he's got to get the ball in good spots. His stuff is great. I think when he gets in a little bit of traffic, he's got to minimize it."

With the emergence of Kyle Freeland and German Márquez, the spotlight may not be on Gray, who was the Rockies' Opening Day starter the past two seasons.

"I think it's going to help me work harder, as I've been this offseason, kind of knowing that," Gray said. "We're all trying to fight for that No. 1 spot. I think if we're not doing that, we're probably in a bad spot. I'm just going to continue to fight for that. I'm going to let these guys know every day I'm going to try to be better than them, [and that] they better try to be better than me. It's just a constant battle."

The camaraderie is strong in the group and thrives off of competition, Gray said.

"Tight-knit," Gray said of the starting rotation's bond. "We've been around each other for a while now, and we're very similar, very similar people. We like the same things. We do the same things. We go play golf together -- things like that. But still, there's that competitive edge between us. We know it's there. We don't wish anything bad for each other, we just want to give our best to the world. If we're just competing with each other [and] not trying to step on each other, we're going to be in a great spot."

Gray believes that if the members of the rotation stay healthy and work to their potential, there's nothing that should get in the way of being a successful staff, saying the team could post "two shutouts a week with the talent we have.

"It’s a beautiful thing."

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Finale big flies

Fireworks flew in the first as Murphy and Nolan Arenado went back to back off of Twins starter Michael Pineda. Murphy recorded four home runs this spring, while Arenado hit his fifth.

Up next

The Rockies will open the season on Thursday in Miami for a four-game set with the Marlins. Freeland will take the ball against Jose Urena. First pitch is set for 2:10 p.m. MDT.