Josh Reddick, tagged out at practice last spring by Julio Lugo, has worked hard to make himself a better hitter.

AP / Brita Meng Outzen

BOSTON — In January of 1988, Red Sox prospect Josh Reddick wasn’t even a year old when his father, Kenny, was seriously injured on the job.

It was a near-fatal accident that changed the lives of both Kenny and Josh.

Kenny Reddick worked for Savannah Electric in Georgia when he was severely shocked one day while working in a bucket truck. He lost half his left arm and two fingers on his right hand when 75,000 volts scorched his body.

He was rushed to the hospital. According to Josh, his dad was dead for five minutes until doctors were able to revive him.

“He told me those five minutes were his most peaceful time,” Josh recalls. “He told me he remembers seeing the light and was floating over his body, watching the doctors operate. Then he came back.”

Because of the limited mobility in his remaining fingers, he was forced to retire at 24.

So Kenny Reddick dedicated his time to teach his son the game of baseball.

“After all that, he still had the heart to teach me how to play the game and how to hit,” said Josh. “To this day, I give him, and my high school coach, all the credit for teaching me how to hit. I hate to say it, but a one-arm man taught me how to hit. And look what I’ve done. I’ve succeeded for so many years.”

Josh, an outfielder, was selected by the Red Sox with their 21st pick (523rd overall) in the 2006 draft. He played 94 games for Single-A Greenville in 2007 and posted a .306 average with 18 homers and 72 RBI. In 2008, he led Boston’s minor-league system with 91 RBI, while hitting a combined .311 during his stints at Greenville, Lancaster and Double-A Portland.

After the 2008 season, Reddick went home and completely shut himself down from all baseball activity. He didn’t work out and it affected him during the Arizona Fall League. He played in 23 games and batted .189 with five home runs.

“In 2007 and 2008 once August came around, my body just collapsed, because I really didn’t take good care of it,” he explained. “I could feel it. I was down all the time and I wasn’t really strong enough. I felt like I tried to do a little too much. In 2009, I want to keep my body healthy, watch what I eat and stay strong in the weight room.”

Reddick is spending this offseason working on a few things that the Red Sox would like him to improve on for 2009. The minor-league development staff would like to see Reddick become a little more patient at the plate. They told him to be “selectively aggressive,” which means work the count and try to see more pitches.

“I can get a little jumpy and try too hard to do too much,” he said. “I just need to try to have a good year and help the organization [in] any way possible.”

In the outfield, Reddick possesses good range with a strong and accurate arm. He’s also known for his all-out hustle and dramatic catches.

He’s ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the organization by Baseball America.

For the last couple of weeks, Reddick participated in the Red Sox Rookie Development Program and will probably start the season with the Sea Dogs.

Even now, Josh’s father will give him tips every once in a while.

“We have a good relationship with each other,” Josh said. “We’re best friends from a father-son standpoint. It’s been a tough road for him. He’s 45 years old and he’s having a rough time. He dealt with it for 20 years, and now I think it’s hitting him that he can’t go to work. He did real well starting his own landscaping business. He’s a man who loves to work. He can’t be sitting on his butt at home.”

Still, Josh believes his father is very proud of his son’s accomplishments on the diamond.

“He loved the game growing up and just to see me doing so well — he’s even told me he’s jealous of what I get to do,” Josh said. “He said he envies me a little bit. I told him, ‘There’s no reason to be jealous of your 22-year-old son.’ He’s living his dream through me because he never had the opportunity.”

jmcdonal@projo.com