Climbing Tal's Hill
Fansided

Astros: 4 Rookie hitters who will have big roles in 2017

By Eric Huysman

Aug 21, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yulieski Gurriel (0) waits on deck in the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 21, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yulieski Gurriel (0) waits on deck in the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next

A.J. Reed

MLB: Texas Rangers at Houston Astros
MLB: Texas Rangers at Houston Astros /

I know, people are going to be rolling your eyes on this one. Read my lips, Reed will be a great MLB players. He still qualifies as a rookie with his number of at-bats with the Astros last year. He admittedly gained some weight with the food in the Astros clubhouse and lost his swing at the plate.

Reed came on Talking Stros and said that he wasn’t getting enough playing time to work out of his funk. He admitted that it was his fault that he lost playing time, but he would still hang around the manager A.J. Hinch. Jeff Luhnow and Hinch both see potential in Reed, and so does Jeremy Booth of Program 15.

Program 15 lends a hand.

Following that episode of Talking Stros, I suggested that Reed meets with Booth. After talking to some other participants, Reed began working with Program 15. The beginning of the offseason he worked with Astros people.

I made a bold proclamation on 790 AM during Fanfest that Reed could be the starting first baseman in July. He set a high goal for himself after his 2015 season, which led him to press in 2016. Now that he had a taste of the big leagues, he knows what he needs to work on. I’m not going to mention his 2016 stats with the Astros or Triple-A. Mike Trout even had a bad start to his career.