AJ Reed

Reed got his first taste of the majors in 2016 when he played in 45 games for the Astros, hitting .164/.270/.262 in that time. Strikeouts plagued his debut, as he whiffed in a brutal 34.0 percent of his plate appearances. As a result, he spent nearly the entire 2017 season at Triple-A Fresno and appeared in just two games in the majors. Reed's power was on full display at Fresno, where he slugged 34 home runs and 104 RBI. His .261 batting average was easily his worst mark in the minors, and he did his damage almost exclusively against righties (.287/.375/.590, .189/.311/.346 versus southpaws). Additionally, strikeouts remained an issue with Reed striking out in 26.3 percent of his plate appearances with Fresno. Yulieski Gurriel has become a reliable option at first base for Houston, making it hard to justify a spot for Reed, but he could contend for reps at the DH spot.

Reed was the talk of March fantasy drafts. There was chatter he would break camp with the team, and he was coming off a season where he laid waste to minor league pitching in the extremely hitter-friendly environments of High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi. The hype swelled despite the fact he had never faced a pitch above Double-A. By season's end, Reed's time in the majors was a major disappointment for those owners as he became a three true outcome player: a walk, a strikeout, or a batted ball out. He hit three homers in 141 plate appearances but did do well in Triple-A back in friendly hitting environments. He turns 24 in May, and the team wants more lefty bats in the lineup, so he could end up in a platoon situation, though Yulieski Gurriel may have a shot to keep first base to himself. This is a good chance to get Reed on the cheap in keeper leagues, though his path to production again faces obstacles.

No minor league hitter improved their stock more than Reed last season. He was the best hitter in the minors, slashing .340/.432/.612 with 34 home runs in 523 at-bats between High-A and Double-A. Those are awfully impressive numbers for a player who was drafted 42nd overall in the 2014 draft and started the year off every major prospect list. Reed posted walk rates above 11 percent and K-rates below 21 percent at both levels last year, and at 6-foot-4, 240, the lefty hitting first baseman has the look of a prototypical MLB cleanup hitter. The Astros non-tendered Chris Carter this offseason, clearing the way for Reed to be the first baseman sometime in the first half, assuming he holds his own for a month or two against Triple-A pitching. There is potential for a .300 hitter with 30-plus home runs annually, and he should reach the majors in time to be worthy of a selection in most single-season formats.