An oblique injury has slowed Buddy Reed’s roll. California League pitchers were not.
The Padres’ dynamic outfield prospect was out of the lineup two days before returning Saturday from a minor oblique injury. Before that, he was riding a seven-game hitting streak in which he’d amassed a .613/.625/.1.065 batting line, three homers, 11 RBIs and three steals at high Single-A Lake Elsinore.
He collected two homers and four doubles over the last two games alone, including an inside-the-park home run in which he slowed as he rounded third (to avoid the runner ahead of him), ran through a stop sign and scored without sliding.
The blazing trip around the bases wasn’t all that surprising for Reed, a 2016 second-rounder drafted for a raw five-tool skillset that’s a bit late developing due to a late start in baseball.
The hits that piled up this week may be more than a hot week.
A .234 hitter in Fort Wayne last year, the switch-hitting Reed – who split his youth between baseball, hockey and soccer – blasted 10 home runs in a 31-game stay in the Australian winter league this offseason. A three-homer game in his final day with Canberra left Reed with a .326/.363/.659 batting line, and the adjustments that paid dividends this offseason are carrying over into the 2018 season.
“He’s just getting into a better foundation, a better base,” said Storm hitting coach Doug Banks, who was with Reed last year in the Midwest League. “He’s getting into his legs. His swing is not as long. He’s cutting down the barrel length in his turn and getting more direct to the ball and allowing that power to play – the leverage and the length that he has in his arms and legs – to create that natural easy power that he has.
“It’s starting to play.”
One focus, Reed said as he reported to Lake Elsinore earlier this month, was his approach with two strikes. He’s hitting .238 so far when behind in the count, compared to .155 the previous two years combined.
“It’s about more at-bats, more reps,” said Reed, who is hitting .397/.419/.638 with three homers, 16 strikeouts and two walks. “Regardless of what league you’re in, you still have to do things consistently. The biggest thing for me is seeing more pitches and being comfortable with two strikes and still doing damage with two strikes.”
Reed is day-to-day with the oblique injury, but is expected to avoid the disabled list.
AROUND THE FARM
- El Paso (AAA): 2B Luis Urias is hitting .269 with two homers and wix RBIs to start the season.
- San Antonio (AA): Named the Texas League’s first player of the week of 2018, 1B Josh Naylor is hitting .365/.446/.730 with seven homers, 17 RBIs and more walks (10) than strikeouts (7). … SS Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .194/.203/.313 with one homer, seven RBIs and 21 strikeouts against one walk.
- Lake Elsinore (A+): RHP Lake Bachar (2-1, 0.00) hasn’t yielded an earned run in his first 17 innings. He has allowed four unearned runs on nine hits, four walks and three hit batters.
- Fort Wayne (A): CF Jeisson Rosario, 18, has four three-walk games in the last week. He is hitting .310/.508/.405 with one homer, nine RBIs, 16 walks and nine strikeouts.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS
(Through Saturday; min. 37 plate appearances, 11 innings)
- Batting average: .397 – OF Buddy Reed (A+)
- On-base percentage: .508 – CF Jeisson Rosario (A)
- Homers: 7 – 1B Josh Naylor (AA)
- Total bases: 42 – Naylor
- RBIs: 17 – C Brett Nicholas (AAA), Naylor
- Steals: 5 – SS Reinaldo Ilarraza (A), Reed (A+), Rosario (A)
- Wins: 2 – Seven tied
- ERA: 0.00 – RHP Lake Bachar (A+)
- WHIP: 0.58 – RHP Elliot Ashbeck (A+)
- Saves: 2 – RHP Jonathan Aro (AAA)
- Strikeouts: 24 – LHP Nick Margevicius (A)
- SO/W: 24.0 – Margevicius
FRIDAY’S GAMES
TRIPLE-A EL PASO (11-5)
- Chihuahuas 11, Reno 3: C Brett Nicholas (.375) hit his fifth homer and drove in five runs and RF Franmil Reyes (.291) and 3B Dusty Coleman (.146) both hit their third homers. LHP Dillon Overton, in his first start this year in the PCL, started the game with four shutout innings.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (8-6)
- Midland 3, Missions 2: RHP Erik Johnson (0-1, 9.00) allowed three runs – two earned – in the eighth inning after LHP Jerry Keel (3.71) started the game with seven shutout innings. 1B Josh Naylor (.404), C Austin Allen (.346) and 2B River Stevens (.261) each had two hits.
HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (7-9)
- Rancho Cucamonga 7, Storm 5: RHP Dauris Valdez (0-1 10.13) allowed five runs – three earned – in 1/3 of an inning. RHP Pedro Avila (3.24) allowed two runs in five innings. LF Taylor Kohlwey (.273) hit his first homer and had two hits and CF Edward Olivares (.311), C Luis Torrens (.279) and SS Ruddy Giron (.196) all had two hits.
LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (4-11)
- Dayton 9, TinCaps 5: 1B Carlos Belen (.289) hit his second homer and drove in three runs on two hits and CF Jeisson Rosario (.289) went 4-for-5 with an RBI, a walk, a run scored and his third steal. LHP Tom Cosgrove (9.28) struck out eight but allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings. LHP Fred Schlichtholz (1-2, 12.79) allowed four runs in 1 1/3 innings.
TRANSACTIONS
- INF/OF Allen Craig was placed on the seven-day disabled list (retroactive to April 19) as Overton arrived from San Antonio.
jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutSanders
