Astros Draft Prospect of the Week: Buddy Reed
The MLB Draft is months away and the players that will be selected are years away from playing big league ball, however these are the names that we will be talking about for the next 10, 15, maybe 20 years. Over the next couple of months I am going to feature a player in each article that I think could be a Houston Astro come June.
Today we start with University of Florida outfielder Buddy Reed.
Reed was a hot name during the summer, with some people heralding him as the likely top pick in the draft. The hype on him has slowed however and most experts have Reed falling out of the top 10. If he falls to the Astros at 17, which is certainly possible, I doubt they pass on him.
College Statistics
2014 (Freshman): 60 GP 51 GS .244/.314/.285
2015: 69 GP 69 GS .305/.367/.433 4 HR
2016: 29 GP 29 GS .308/.400/.453 2 HR
Measurables
Reed certainly has an impressive frame, as he stands 6’4″ and weighs 200 lbs. He ran a 6.70 60 yard dash coming out of high school, which I would assume has only gotten better over his three years at Florida. He’s a switch hitter and throws from the right side.
Hitting
Reed’s swing looks much better from the right side than it does from the left. Unfortunately as a switch hitter, you hit more from the left side than you do the right side.
Reed has a tendency to let his hips slide forward from the left side, which doesn’t let him tap into all of his power that’s available. He also keeps his hands extremely narrowed and contained, which also keeps him from tapping into his power. These are easy mechanical fixes, but if he doesn’t fix them he won’t be able to hit at the big league level.
From the right side Reed’s swing looks much more natural and fluid. His righty swing is big league ready right now.
Defense
Reed has an absolute hose from the outfield. He threw 91 MPH from the outfield coming out of high school, and it’s more than fair to assume that his arm has gotten better. Big league average is 90 MPH. Translation…hose. His outfield footwork isn’t perfect, but it’s not like what he does is bad and it doesn’t really matter when you throw like he does.
Mark my words…Buddy Reed will win a gold glove in the MLB. He’s the best defensive outfielder in the SEC, which is absolutely loaded with MLB caliber outfielders. He covers lots of ground and has the versatility and arm to play the corners if needed, although I think he should stick in CF.
Overview
Reed has 4 surefire tools in his hit, glove, arm, and speed. He has power potential that is most definitely there, but he has some swing and approach issues that need to be addressed for him to tap into it. I doubt Reed lasts to 17, but he could depending on how many teams go with arms instead of bats.
MLB Comp
Phillips and Reed are really similar in my opinion. Heading into the draft, Phillips had four surefire tools but hadn’t yet tapped into his power. Phillips turned into one of the most sought after prospects in the game with the Astros, and I think Reed can do the same.
