TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards: AJ Reed nations top slugger

This is topic AJ Reed nations top slugger in forum UK/NCAA Baseball/Softball at TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://www.thecatsdomain.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=34;t=000566

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 04-26-2014, 10:12 PM:

This kid is as good as they get and has a bright future in the big leagues..

A.J. Reed's nicknames don't sound very exciting. Sometimes his University of Kentucky baseball teammates call him "George." Other times it's "Herman." Yawn. They make him sound like a shuffleboard standout.

But they represent an ultimate compliment, a humbling comparison: George Herman "Babe" Ruth. Until this season, one might've assumed it was merely a reference to Reed's status as a hefty lefty. Like Ruth, a pudgy southpaw, Reed carried a not-so-firm 260 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame last year.

This season, it is Reed's game that merits the nicknames. Like Ruth, who was both baseball's original home-run king and an ace on the mound, a slimmed-down Reed is doing something rarely seen in college baseball. He is the best hitter in the country and one of the top pitchers in the toughest conference in America.

"I can't ever remember a guy in the last decade that's made this much of an impact both ways," said Aaron Fitt, Baseball America's national college writer. "It's incredible what he's done. How could any player possibly have more value? It's amazing."

Reed, a first baseman or designated hitter when he isn't pitching, leads the nation in home runs (16), slugging percentage (.783) and OPS (1.278). He also leads the mighty Southeastern Conference, which has nine teams in this week's Top 25, in batting average (.375), RBI (55), on-base percentage (.495) and total bases (119).

He also happens to be the Wildcats' Friday night pitcher with a 7-1 record and a 2.15 ERA. Reed has led 17th-ranked Kentucky (27-14, 9-9 SEC) to a resurgent season – now projected to host an NCAA regional after missing the tournament last year – and in the process propelled himself into position to pile up every National Player of the Year honor.

The John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award should already have his name engraved on it. Reed could also land the Dick Howser Trophy (writers), Golden Spikes Award (USA Baseball), ACBA Player of the Year (coaches) and Baseball America College Player of the Year.

"He's got to be the frontrunner," said Fitt, who has a vote for two of them.

Remarkably, Kentucky coach Gary Henderson predicted this. Although Reed had been a freshman All-American and earned All-SEC honors as a sophomore, he was out of shape and coming off a solid but not spectacular season. He hit .280 last year and posted a 2-8 record and 4.04 ERA on the mound.

"Most people probably wouldn't have picked me" as a Player of the Year candidate, Reed said, "but the coaches said, 'You do what you need to do and you could be the best player in the country.' And right now that's what's happening."

Link