This has been quite the year for the Brewers’ farm system. Prospects like Orlando Arcia and Jorge Lopez have increased their already high stock. Recent first-round draft pick Trent Clark lit up the rookie leagues. Taylor Jungmann is having a better-than-expected start to his major-league career. All the prospects in the Gomez/Fiers deal have impressed, including Domingo Santana and his six home runs in just over one hundred plate appearances.
One prospect that seemingly slides under the radar is Michael Reed. That is a shame, too, because he has raised his stock as much as anyone in the system, relatively speaking. I think the reason Reed gets overlooked is his profile doesn’t fit the prototypical corner outfielder, which combines a special bat with big power. Reed’s hit tool is around average but his home-run power is definitely below average. He tied a career high in home runs this year with five. But Reed brings other advantages.
His combined slash line at Double-A and Triple-A is .269/.371/.410. He also stole 26 bases while getting caught just seven times. He had a 14.1 percent walk rate at Double-A Biloxi and 13.5 percent walk rate in Triple-A Colorado Springs. That level of patience isn’t a fluke either. He’s had well above 10 percent walk rates at every level, save his draft year. So while he may never reach double-digit home run numbers, he does bring a dangerous combination of high on-base skills with potential for 20-30 stolen bases.
In a lot of ways, his profile is reminiscent of former Brewers outfielder Nori Aoki. He’s an above-average defender at the corner, gets on base at a high rate, and supplements his gap power with speed. They can both play center field in a pinch, as well. Michael Reed actually played a lot of center earlier in his minor-league career but has played less the higher he has progressed in the Brewers’ farm system. It’s unclear whether that’s because he is better suited to the corners or if he was supplanted by better defensive teammates like Tyrone Taylor and Kyle Wren.
To me, Michael Reed’s potential ability to play center field is especially interesting. The Brewers don’t have a true center fielder right now. They’ve given the majority of post-Gomez playing time to Domingo Santana, but he’s a corner outfielder all the way. If Reed is a better defender, he immediately becomes a realistic option as a stop-gap until Brett Phillips and/or Tyrone Taylor are ready. If he can play center field even at an average level, he becomes a legitimate regular as the low-power/high-OBP profile plays better there.
Earlier this month the Brewers announced they would be sending Michael Reed to the Arizona Fall League. The Brewers have not traditionally taken the AFL lightly, and his inclusion should be viewed as a vote of confidence in him. Furthermore, news broke late on Monday evening that the Brewers would be calling up Reed and five other players from Double-A Biloxi. Viewed in tandem, I have to wonder if they’ll be giving serious thought to his inclusion on next year’s Opening Day roster.
He has never been a highly-ranked prospect. That’s a mistake by those making the lists (in fairness Keith Law did have him in his top 10 prior to the trade deadline). I don’t think it’s a mistake the Brewers are making. They’ve shown in the past they’ll give these types of unheralded prospects a chance. They did so with Mike Fiers, Khris Davis, and Scooter Gennett. If my hopes are realized, we’ll be adding Michael Reed to that list before next season is finished.