A.J. Reed

Andrew Joseph Reed

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 240 lb.
• School University of Kentucky
• High School Terre Haute South Vigo High School
• Debut June 25, 2016
• Final Game August 1, 2019
• Born May 10, 1993 in Terre Haute, IN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

A.J. Reed won the Indiana Mr. Baseball Award in 2011 as a senior at Terre Haute South Vigo High School. He was selected by the New York Mets in the 25th round of the 2011 amateur draft but did not sign, opting to attend the University of Kentucky instead. In 2014, he led all NCAA Division I players in home runs with 23 and in slugging percentage at .735; he was second in total bases (164) and third in RBIs with 73. Not content with hitting the cover off the ball, he was also outstanding on the mound, going 12-2, 2.09. His outstanding season was rewarded by winning the Golden Spikes Award as the best college player in the nation. He also won the competing Dick Howser Trophy, also meant to honor the top college player in the country.

A.J. was selected by the Houston Astros in the second round of the 2014 amateur draft. He signed quickly and was assigned to the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League to begin his professional career as a first baseman. He hit .306 in 34 games to earn a promotion to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League, where he played another 34 games, hitting .272. His combined batting line was ..289/.375/.522 in 68 games with 20 doubles and 12 homers. He then had a tremendous season in 2015 that led to his being named the California League Player of the Year as he hit .346 with 23 home runs and 81 RBIs in only 82 games. He was promoted to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League where he continued his red hot hitting, with a .332 average in 53 games. Altogether, he led all minor league players in home runs (34), RBIs (127) and OPS (1.044). His batting line was .340/.432/.612 in 135 games. He repeated in 2017 as the top home run hitter in the minors and winner of the Joe Bauman Home Run Award by hitting 34 for the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League. He was the first person to win that award twice since its creation in 2002.

Notable Achievements

• 2015 Player of the Year California League Lancaster JetHawks

Further Reading

• Brian McTaggart: "Reed looking to seize first-base opportunity: After 1st taste of Majors, 23-year-old spent offseason working on swing, agility", mlb.com February 20, 2017. [1]

Related Sites

• A.J. Reed on mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• University of Kentucky bio