Fantasy Baseball 2016: Rookie Sleepers At Each Position
By Scott Dillon
First Base: A.J. Reed – ADP: Undrafted
The path to the Major Leagues appears to be wide open for A.J. Reed. The Astros parted ways with Chris Carter clearing a spot for A.J. Reed who they drafted in 2014.
The left-handed first basemen was probably the best hitter coming out of college in 2014 and he’ll look to follow a similar path as Kris Bryant. Reed hasn’t had eye-popping numbers this Spring, but the Astros are probably set on letting him work things out in the Majors.
In 2015, he batted .340 across two minor league levels. It should be noted that he hasn’t hit at Triple-A, but a lot of times good pitchers never make it as far as Triple-A before they get called up. A lot of prospects make the jump from Double-A to the show and are just fine.
Aside from hitting for a high average, A.J. Reed kills the baseball. He hit 34 home runs, 30 doubles, and five triples across just 523 at-bats last season. That’s a home run every 15 at-bats and an extra-base hit every 7.5 at-bats.
He does strikeout a fair deal, but he also walked 86 times last season. His on-base percentage was a whopping .432 so he shouldn’t be overzealous when he gets the the Major Leagues.
Next: Come On Ref!