AJ Reed gets 3 hits as Astros’ first-base competition heats up

Former University of Kentucky star AJ Reed had three hits for the Houston Astros in an 11-8 split-squad win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday in Bradenton, Fla.

Matt Duffy homered twice and Carlos Correa added two hits for Houston.

Jake Marisnick also hit a two-run shot for the Astros on a day when several of their top minor league hitters impressed.

Reed’s three hits in five at-bats included an RBI single and a double. Duffy drove in three runs and Tyler White also homered.

“I’ll take the competition heating up a little bit and having these guys perform and settle into their swings a little bit,” Manager A.J. Hinch said in a report on the team’s website.

Reed, Duffy and White are getting a look in the spring competition at first base. Houston would like to see Jon Singleton lock up the position after he signed a $10 million, five-year contract in 2014 that includes three club options.

Singleton homered, doubled and drove in three runs during Houston’s other split-squad game Sunday, a 7-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Reed is rated as the top first-base prospect in the game by MLB.com.

The Astros’ report said that Reed, a lefty, has been concentrating on hitting the ball to the opposite field since teams are shifting three fielders to the right side.

“I feel like I have more power the other way,” Reed said. “I hit a lot of home runs to center and left-center. My approach is to try and drive the ball to left-center, drive the fastball that way. If I can get there, I feel like I’m in a good spot.”

Hinch said he likes that the competition has the players pushing each other.

“In a perfect world, we have as many options as possible that are ready to play,” Hinch said. “Being that it’s one of the few spots that’s open, it’s going to get a lot attention and these guys know it, and we haven’t shied away from it. It’s nice to see guys have a good day.”

This story was originally published March 6, 2016 at 10:36 PM with the headline "AJ Reed gets 3 hits as Astros’ first-base competition heats up."