Amateur

Reed attended Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida, and played college ball at Manatee Community College and Florida State University. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the third round of the 1982 MLB Draft (January phase) and second round of the 1983 MLB Draft (June secondary phase) and the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 1982 MLB Draft (June secondary phase) but did not sign.

Boston Red Sox

Reed was drafted in the eighth round of the 1984 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox and signed on June 11, 1984. He played with the Winter Haven Red Sox in the Florida State League in 1984 and 1985, batting .289.

Reed began 1986 with the New Britain Red Sox of the Eastern League and was promoted mid-season to the Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League.

Reed made his Major League debut for the Red Sox as a pinch runner on September 12, 1987 against the Baltimore Orioles. He made his first start, leading off and playing shortstop against the Orioles on September 18. Reed was 3 for 6 with two RBI and a stolen base in that game, with his first hit being a single off Jeff Ballard in the top of the fifth.^[1] He appeared in nine games that September, with nine hits in 30 at bats for a .300 average.

In 1988, Reed became the Red Sox' starting shortstop. He hit his first career home run on June 27, 1988, off John Farrell of the Cleveland Indians. He hit .293 that season and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Reed switched to second base during the 1989 season and played with the Red Sox through 1992. In 1990, he led the American League with 45 doubles and finished 10th in the AL with 173 hits. Reed also totaled more than 40 doubles in 1989 and 1991.

In 715 total games with the Red Sox, Reed hit .280 with 17 homers and 227 RBI. He also hit .250 in the 1988 American League Championship Series and .133 in the 1990 American League Championship Series.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Reed was drafted by the Colorado Rockies as the 13th pick in the 1992 MLB expansion draft on November 17, then traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Rudy Seánez.

He played in 132 games for the Dodgers during the 1993 season and hit .276.

Milwaukee Brewers

Reed was offered a three-year, $7.8 million contract extension by the Dodgers after the season, but turned it down in order to become a free agent. He eventually wound up signing a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers for only $350,000 plus incentives.^[2]

Reed hit .271 with the Brewers in 108 games.

San Diego Padres

Reed signed a free agent contract with the San Diego Padres on April 19, 1995. In two seasons with the Padres he hit .250 in 277 games.

Detroit Tigers

The Padres traded Reed to the Detroit Tigers on March 22, 1997, in exchange for Mike Darr and Matt Skrmetta. He only played in 52 games in Detroit, hitting .196.