Ted was born October 18, 1890, in Beaver, PA. After graduating in 1909 from Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, PA, Ted enrolled in Dartmouth College. He would later transfer to Princeton University, where he graduated in 1913. Ted played college baseball at both Dartmouth College, 1910, and Princeton University, 1912-13.

Ted was 24 years old when he reached the major leagues as a third baseman on September 10, 1915, with the Newark Peppers of the Federal League, which was a third major league in 1914-15. Ted played one season with the league.

In his debut, Ted played third base against the St. Louis Terriers, with future MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Eddie Plank on the opposing roster. Ted would face Plank the next day, going 3-4 with an RBI. One of the two managers of the Newark Peppers that year was MLB Hall of Famer Bill McKechnie, who was a pinch hitter and would later play for and manage the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ted played 20 games that year with 89 plate appearances and a .260 batting average. On September 27, 1915, Ted played the last of his 20 MLB games against the Pittsburgh Rebels in Pittsburgh's Exposition Park III.

Ted would finish his baseball career playing in the New York State League with the 1915 Troy Trojans. He played in 121 games and had 429 at-bats, with 111 hits for a .259 batting average.
Ted served in the field artillery as a second lieutenant in World War I. He was president of the former Teledyne Standard Collapsible Tube Company in Rochester, PA.

Ralph Edwin "Ted" Reed died February 16, 1959, at age 68, in Beaver, PA.