Houston Astros: JetHawks’ A.J. Reed continues mashing

Houston Astros prospect A.J. Reed continued his assault on High-A pitching on Monday as he went 3-for-3 with a homer in the JetHawks win. It was his 21st long ball of the season. Reed now leads the California League in homers, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and walks. He may not need any more time at High-A. Especially with how the Astros first basemen are playing, Reed could be needed next season at first base next season.

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Derek Fisher was a big part of the JetHawks going 4-2 over the last week, coming into play Tuesday night. The left fielder is six for his last 20 with his sixth homer since being promoted to Lancaster. He now has 12 blasts and 57 batted in overall between Quad Cities and the JetHawks.

Perhaps his most exciting statistic is the number 20. That is how many bases the five-tool prospect has swiped in 2015. Still just 21 years-old, the sky is the limit for Fisher.

Jacob Nottingham – who was promoted from Quad Cities to Lancaster a few weeks back – has shined in his brief time with the JetHawks. The 6’3″ catcher is hitting .409 with a 1.231 OPS in 22 at bats. We could easily blow that off as a small sample to pull from.

However, we do have the 20-year-old’s first half numbers from the River Bandits where he batted .326 with ten homers, and a .931 OPS.

Nottingham should settle in and stay in Lancaster for the remainder of the year and put himself in a position to start 2016 in Double-A Corpus Christi.

Amazingly, none of the JetHawks will be represented in the Futures Game over the All-Star break. Certainly, Reed can look forward to attending next year and perhaps we’ll see a bevy of Astros prospects through the next few years as the organization continues to stockpile and progress high-end talent.

The 2015 Astros prospects represented in this year’s Future’s Game will be limited to Tony Kemp (2B/OF) and Mark Appel (RHP) of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies.

Stay tuned to Climbing Tal’s Hill for all things Astros and the minor league ranks. Follow us at @AstrosCTH.

Next: Tyler White Wins Derby, Devenski Starts ASG

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