If you’ve been frozen in carbonite since January 14, 2018 and this is the first headline you’ve seen, I have some bad news for you. Bryan Reynolds, the Giants first pick from 2016, is currently fighting for the batting title, but he’s doing it for the Pittsburgh Pirates. His .335 batting average is just two points behind current leader Anthony Rendon. Reigning MVP and batting champion Christian Yelich is right behind him at .326. That’s good company for a player who was supposed to be worth a year of Andrew McCutchen.

Reynolds is trying to become the first Giant Pirate to win the batting title since Buster Posey in 2012 Freddy Sanchez in 2006. He’s not doing it the cheap way either which is to play for the Colorado Rockies. Reynolds is doing it the ole fashioned way with a historically high BABIP. Per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, Reynolds’ batting average on balls in play of .413 is the sixth-highest in the modern era and the highest since 1923.

BABIPs over .400 are unsustainable, but .350 mark isn’t out of the question for Reynolds. Ben Clemens of FanGraphs recently wrote about how it’s not all a mirage. In summary, Reynolds hits a lot of ground balls which are better for BABIP than fly balls. He also hits the ball hard and sprays the ball on the ground. Reynolds has been lucky, but luck is the residue of design and all that jazz.

Among all rookies, Reynolds ranks fourth in fWAR at 3.5. For comparison, Madison Bumgarner leads the Giants at 3.1. If Reynolds replicates this season in 2020, there’s a good chance he’ll head to the All-Star game. Had the previous regime kept him, he would have been their best bet for a home-grown outfielder to reach the Midsummer Classic since Chili Davis. Now, it will be up to Austin Slater to take up that mantle.

Reynolds is having an excellent season, but he’s outclassed by his closest competition for the batting crown. If neither Yelich nor Rendon win the MVP, they’ll likely finish second and third. For that reason, Reynolds is destined to come out on top. Only rarely does the best hitter win the batting title. Yelich in 2018 and Buster Posey in 2012 are recent exceptions, but traditionally, the award is supposed to go to a slappy singles hitter with average power playing in a hitter’s park. That way, old school folks and the analytically inclined have another thing to argue at season’s end.

Take DJ LeMahieu for example. He’s currently leading for the American League batting title and he’s going to get first place votes for MVP despite the existence of Mike Trout. Reynolds needs to win the batting title for the sake of chaos. Also, it would be hilarious if the Giants’ only good first selection between Joe Panik and Heliot Ramos (fingers crossed) won a major award for another team the year after they traded him.