Reed was a career .270 hitter who also played with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1993), Milwaukee Brewers (1994), San Diego Padres (1995-1996) and Detroit Tigers (1997). Reed played college baseball for the Florida State University Seminoles under head coach Mike Martin. An amusing sidelight to Reed's career was his description on the back of one of his baseball cards: "Jody is a dangerous bunter."