First baseman A.J. Reed is feeling more relaxed as he tries to impress the Astros.
Power-hitting first baseman is among trio of candidates competing to fill in for Gurriel
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.— A.J. Reed has been breathing more easily lately.
After the power hungry lefthanded first baseman hit a home run Tuesday, he rounded third base with a smile and a low-five from coach Gary Pettis. Manager A.J. Hinch noticed Reed let out “a sigh of relief in the dugout.”
His confidence lifted higher when he launched his second homer a day later.
“I feel more on time with the pitches coming in,” Reed said. “My swing has felt fine all spring. That has not been an issue; it’s really been timing early in spring. The last three or four days I’ve been feeling better.”
‘The competition guys’
Reed offers a view inside one of the few areas of competition on the reigning World Series champions this spring. The Astros are trying out lefthanded relievers, but that job has become Tony Sipp’s to lose. Max Stassi appears to have outplayed Tim Federowicz for the role of a third catcher on the opening day roster.
The trio of hopeful first basemen is the only group Hinch has called “the competition guys.”
The Astros require a fill-in until mid-April for Yuli Gurriel, who is expected to finish recovering from hand surgery and complete a suspension then. Hinch has given nearly equal playing time to Reed, J.D Davis and Tyler White, but the manager seems to be favoring the latter two. Davis shifted to fielding at first, after he initially had moved from third to the outfield at the start of camp. White received the most majorleague at-bats last season.
More than two weeks into games, Davis has hit the best of the trio. His high rate of contact this spring stands out more than the .455 average and 1.384 OPS he has against spring pitching. White has drawn several walks and launched his first home run Thursday, but he has not hit well. He and Davis, who are righthanded, have courted more favor from Hinch. Reed’s recent upswing has kept him in contention.
“After Yuli’s surgery I feel like I put too much pressure on myself,” Reed said. “I just had to relax … and hit the ball hard. The last three days I feel like I’ve done that.”
His first home run calmed him.
“It was good to finally barrel up a ball good and see some ball flight,” Reed said. “It gave me a little more confidence. Just keep building off of it.
“I swung at the pitches I was supposed to. I don’t feel like I swung at any bad pitches, which is really what I’m focusing on. And I made a couple nice plays at first base.”
With Class AAA Fresno last season, Reed hit 34 home runs to go with 104 RBIs and compiled an .883 OPS. The Astros upset him when they did not call him for to the expanded roster last September. He arrived in camp and met with Hinch to “clear the air,” which has helped him feel more secure about his opportunities with the franchise.
“Having that conversation put me at ease,” he said. “I feel like they’ve got confidence in me right now. You want to know what your employers think about you.”
Several scenarios
How much the Astros value Reed will be clearer in about 10 days, when more playing time likely will be given to the leading candidate for the first base job.
Reed ran through scenarios that could happen if he does not make the opening day roster — another season with Fresno, being called up to replace an injured Astro or getting traded.
“They say you’re always playing for 29 other teams,” he said.
“My time will come; whether it’s with the Astros or whether it’s someone else, you’ve gotta be patient, you’ve gotta keep working for that next opportunity.”