Poll: Your Least Favorite Reds Top Pick Over the Last 5 Drafts

[EddieMilner]

Simple question, which of the last 5 top draft picks of the Reds are you least happy about. Assume Yonder gets signed.

[OnBaseMachine]

The choices are Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, Devin Mesoraco, and Yonder Alonso.

My choice would be Drew Stubbs because of who was available when the Reds took him. The Reds had a chance to grab Tim Lincecum (myself and many others were screaming for him) and passed on him. Imagine if the Reds had did the right thing and Lincecum was a Red right now? What an unbelievable rotation we would have right now.

[redhawk61]

The choices are Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, Devin Mesoraco, and Yonder Alonso.

My choice would be Drew Stubbs because of who was available when the Reds took him. The Reds had a chance to grab Tim Lincecum (myself and many others were screaming for him) and passed on him. Imagine if the Reds had did the right thing and Lincecum was a Red right now? What an unbelievable rotation we would have right now.
but we wouldn't have volquez so the rotation would be a wash, but we would have Hamilton...

[OnBaseMachine]

but we wouldn't have volquez so the rotation would be a wash, but we would have Hamilton...

I see no reason why we couldn't still have Volquez.

[bucksfan2]

Great another Drew Stubbs Tim Lincecum thread. Haven't we done this enough by now?

[OnBaseMachine]

Someone actually voted for Jay Bruce?

[membengal]

Mes. Taking a catcher that high with as many questions as accompanied Mes makes me itchy.

I root like heck for him, though. I don't like itching.

[EddieMilner]

For me this is a tough call. I could see going with Stubbs, Homer, or Mes.
Homer - due to the ungodly high expectations that were set for him, it makes his mediocre performance over the last year really hard to swallow.
Stubbs - due to him yet to dominate at any level he's played at. I want to see a #7 pick dominate. Having said that, I think he still can be an effective major league CF with his defense and OB skills.
Mes - high school catcher that had played against very poor competition. Struggled last year. Isn't tearing it up this year. But being 20 and at Dayton gives us some hope.

In the end it was Stubbs for me. I still have confidence that Homer can be a great pitcher. I don't have as high expectations for a 20 year old catcher, he still has time to come around and be something special. But for a 24 year old #7 college pick, he needs to dominate with his bat at some level. Until he does that, he has to get my vote on this poll.

[OnBaseMachine]

I wasn't thrilled with the Mesoraco pick either but I didn't mind it as much because there weren't a whole lot of other great options left besides Porcello and I just didn't see the Reds forking out that kind of cash for him at the time. The guy the Reds (and myself included) wanted was Jason Heyward and the Braves grabbed him one pick ahead of the Reds unfortunately.

[Noosh]

For me it's Homer just based on his performance versus the amount of time he's had to prove himself. He was obviously drafted before any of the other options and his list of accomplishments is maybe two or three good major league starts. Bruce was drafted a year after Homer and he has already accomplished more than Homer in the minors and the majors. Stubbs and Mesoraco have been in the organization for a short enough amount of time that it's still hard for me to say whether or not picking them was a mistake. And since I don't really follow college baseball I can't say much on the subject of Alonso, although if they don't sign him soon that might turn out to be the most disappointing.

[LoganBuck]

Nice positive thread.

[dougdirt]

I voted Jay Bruce because this thread is dumb.

[FIRELEFT]

I voted Jay Bruce because this thread is dumb.

I voted Jay Because i didn't pay attention.

[EddieMilner]

I voted Jay Bruce because this thread is dumb.

I'm sorry to hear that, I was looking forward to your opinion. Since your definitely a fan of Stubbs, Homer, and (I think) Mes, I was interested to see who you thought was the worst pick out of them. I still hope all of them succeed but I can be objective and answer which I feel is currently the worst pick. Why do you think this is a dumb thread?

[EddieMilner]

Nice positive thread.

It doesn't have to be negative (nor was it intended to be). It was simply intended to be an objective discussion on which pick of the last drafts people were least impressed with.

[Degenerate39]

Of course I voted for Stubbs because of Lincecum.

[dougdirt]

I'm sorry to hear that, I was looking forward to your opinion. Since your definitely a fan of Stubbs, Homer, and (I think) Mes, I was interested to see who you thought was the worst pick out of them. I still hope all of them succeed but I can be objective and answer which I feel is currently the worst pick. Why do you think this is a dumb thread?

Its just going to turn into the 1 billionth Drew Stubbs sucks because he isn't Tim Lincecum debate this year. I didn't want Stubbs, but am glad to have him. I didn't really want Mesoraco, but am glad to have him. All of these guys are ours now and none of them have done anything to this point to warrant being told they suck, aren't good or are a failure. Heck, Drew Stubbs is far and away the oldest guy on the list and he is 23 years old. He could become the best of the bunch. While I certainly don't think so, it could easily happen.

Let me sum up our draft for the last 5 seasons:

Homer Bailey - should have never picked a high school arm or should have picked Jared Weaver.

Jay Bruce - He is alright, but he was only a real prospect during his senior year. We may have reached on him.

Drew Stubbs - He can't hit. Should have taken a college pitcher.

Devin Mesoraco - A high school catcher in the first round, are we stupid? A high school catcher from Pennsylvania?! We really are stupid. He won't make it and even if he does he is so far away. Should have taken a college kid.

Yonder Alonso - What?! Overdraft. Should have taken that other college first baseman or that shortstop from Georgia. We already have a first baseman.

Thats exactly where this thread has the potential of going and most of them have been hashed out a hundred times before. Thats why I think its a stupid thread. Its just going to go places that aren't needed to be gone to for the sole purpose of someone being right and someone else being wrong. I know that wasn't your intention, but its where its likely to go.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Ask this question next year and I would bet it will 100% Mesoraco.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

nm

[BuckeyeRedleg]

I voted Jay Bruce because this thread is dumb.

I don't see anything wrong with the poll.

[camisadelgolf]

Do you mean when the pick was made, or do you mean at this moment? At the time of the pick, for me, it was Jay Bruce. At this current moment, I'd go with Homer Bailey.

[EddieMilner]

Do you mean when the pick was made, or do you mean at this moment? At the time of the pick, for me, it was Jay Bruce. At this current moment, I'd go with Homer Bailey.

at this moment.

[bucksfan2]

Do you mean when the pick was made, or do you mean at this moment? At the time of the pick, for me, it was Jay Bruce. At this current moment, I'd go with Homer Bailey.

Its really a biased poll. Homer has the longest track record and Alonso is not a red yet. I agree with Doug this poll is stupid. You don't draft in hindsight. If you take a snapshot 5 years from now you may have an entire different result. What happens if Lincecum blows his arm out and Stubbs is a starting CF with a .360 opb? Sure Homer has been disappinting but that still doesn't mean he can be successful. Mesoraco is a 19-20 year old catcher playing in A ball. Who knows what will happen with him.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Its really a biased poll. Homer has the longest track record and Alonso is not a red yet. I agree with Doug this poll is stuid. You don't draft in hindsight. If you take a snapshot 5 years from now you may have an entire different result. What happens if Lincecum blows his arm out and Stubbs is a starting CF with a .360 opb? Sure Homer has been disappinting but that still doesn't mean he can be successful. Mesoraco is a 19-20 year old catcher playing in A ball. Who knows what will happen with him.

If you think the thread or poll is stupid why participate in it?

Also, was the question posed, "In hindsight....."

No, it wasn't. It was who is your least favorite top pick over the past few drafts. Big deal.

[EddieMilner]

Its really a biased poll. Homer has the longest track record and Alonso is not a red yet. I agree with Doug this poll is stuid. You don't draft in hindsight. If you take a snapshot 5 years from now you may have an entire different result. What happens if Lincecum blows his arm out and Stubbs is a starting CF with a .360 opb? Sure Homer has been disappinting but that still doesn't mean he can be successful. Mesoraco is a 19-20 year old catcher playing in A ball. Who knows what will happen with him.

You don't draft in hindsight, you are 100% correct. But we are completely capable (and at any time) of polling the general population to see where they stand at this time. It doesn't make it "stuid" as you state.

[Steve4192]

This thread would have been more interesting if it was about the 1998-2003 drafts. At least then we would have some juicy busts to pick from.

[Highlifeman21]

With Yonder, I think we have a guy who will be closest to the show out of the 5 choices. It wouldn't surprise me if we see him with the club (provided we haven't traded him, or he is hurt) by Opening Day 2010 at the latest. I would have rather had Gordon Beckham since I see no future SS in the pipeline, but I'm not upset with Alonso. I'm just hoping he makes a great transition to wooden bats.

With Mesoraco, I'm not convinced we took the best available, but rather drafted for need. If he was a draft for need selection, then I'll continue to not like the pick, but if he was a drafted best available selection then I'll give him more rope to either prove something or hang himself.

With Stubbs, I hated it at the time, and I continue to hate it now. The kid has been nothing but a bust and faces insurmountable odds to become an everyday MLB CF.

Bruce, I actually agree with doug. I think we got lucky with The Boss, and honestly didn't know what we had until last year. Hopefully he will continue to work out and go on to be a HOF and play his entire career as a Red, but I'll also be happy with getting the most out of him while he's here. I'd love for Jay Bruce to become the next Larry Walker.

Homer Bailey, where to start? To say he hasn't lived up to the hype is being kind. But, since he's a pitcher, and we need those desperately, I root for the kid. I hope he gets it all figured out by the time he's 25, but I'm not putting all my eggs in that basket. What I do hope for at this point is that we maximize his value to us. If that means we convert him to a guy that is absolutely filthy out of the pen, so be it. If that means we coddle him to the point where he regains some trade value and we ship him off for whatever hole du jour we have on the 25 man roster, then let's go that route. All I know is that the revolving door between Cincy and Louisville isn't helping him or the Reds right now. Pick a level and keep him there until he dominates. He hasn't done that up to this point, IMO.

[dougdirt]

Just to make it clear, the things I said about all 5 guys in question are not what I thought exactly, but the things that were said at the time and since then about all of the guys.

[juvey21]

i voted bruce because i didnt pay attention to the thread title SORRY....the draft pick i like least is mesoraco i just dont like taking catchers that early unless its a cant miss type guy