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    Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7
    University of Miami slugger a second-team All-American
    By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

    PHILADELPHIA -- More than 10 years ago, Yonder Alonso's father gathered his family and defected from Cuba on a small plane with hopes that there would be a day like Thursday.

    Alonso, now a junior first baseman at the University of Miami, was the Reds' selection as the seventh overall pick on Thursday in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

    "I've been following them for a while," Alonso said. "They're a great team. I just can't wait to go meet [Ken] Griffey [Jr.] and [Adam] Dunn."

    A left-handed power hitter who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, the 21-year-old Alonso is currently batting .370 with 21 home runs and 66 RBIs in 58 games for the Hurricanes. Miami is playing in the NCAA Super Regional tournament this week.

    A graduate of Coral Gables (Fla.) High School, Alonso played collegiately in his hometown and was an occasional workout partner with Yankees superstar and Miami native Alex Rodriguez.

    In 2008, Alonso was a second-team All-American by Louisville Slugger and Baseball America. He was also rated the No. 2 prospect last summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League, a wooden bat amateur league.

    "We've been following Yonder probably since the 11th grade," Reds senior director of scouting Chris Buckley said. "Two of my better scouts I've worked with for a long time have been following him for quite a while. It's really his body of work. He had three outstanding years at the University of Miami -- one of the top programs in the country. We like what he did last summer in Cape Cod with the wood bat. He's a high on-base percentage guy. Every time we go in there, the guy performs."

    Alonso's father, Luis, was a professional ballplayer in Cuba under Fidel Castro's dictatorship. A communist nation that's under a U.S. trade embargo, citizens have few freedoms, although life for the nation's baseball players often comes with some perks.

    Looking to make a better life for his children, Luis gathered the family in a small airplane and defected out of the country. Alonso was a 10-year-old boy at the time.

    "Nobody knew about it," Alonso said. "He wanted to do it for me and my younger sister. He just wanted to give us an opportunity to do something in life, actually earn something and not have something over there that can get taken away from you at any time."

    Left behind were aunts, uncles and cousins. Alonso came over with both parents and his younger sister.

    "It was tough. You learn to grow up very, very quickly," Alonso said. "It's one of those things that when everything else in life comes your way, it's nothing compared to what you go through with all that. It's great I got the opportunity to learn that, and now I can go on with life. It means a lot. It's a little bit easier, because I could just think about that moment in my life."

    Alonso will be represented by agent Greg Genske. There have been reports that Alonso and Genske have demanded an $8 million signing bonus and a Major League contract, which would mean Alonso would have to be put on the 40-man roster.

    "Hopefully we can get something done with the Reds," Alonso said. "I'm not really ready to talk about that. Right now I'm trying to win a College World Series. We'll see what happens after that."

    Cincinnati has not given a big league contract to a first-round Draft pick since 2000, when both shortstop David Espinosa and catcher Dane Sardinha were signed by then-GM Jim Bowden. Neither panned out for the organization.

    The Reds already have a left-handed power-hitting first baseman in rookie Joey Votto. Undeterred, the club stuck to its guns about selecting what it viewed as the best player available despite the reported contract demands.

    "Ownership and [general manager Walt Jocketty] were totally supportive," Buckley said. "Myself and the rest thought this was the best guy. Hopefully we'll be able to get him out there quickly, but maybe we don't. We're feeling pretty good we'll get him signed. We had contact with his agents. We had to touch base and go over certain things. We wouldn't have picked him if we didn't think we could sign him."

    Alonso can also play catcher and third base, but first base is considered his primary position. Scouting reports about his defense aren't overly enthusiastic, however.

    A total of five rounds will be completed on Day 1 of the Draft. Cincinnati does not have a second-round selection, which went to the Brewers as compensation for signing free-agent closer Francisco Cordero.

    In the special Negro League Draft, held Thursday, the Reds took former Memphis Red Sox pitcher Charlie "Whip" Davis, who played from 1950-55. Each Major League club "drafted" surviving former Negro League players, who represented every player who did not have the opportunity to play Major League baseball.

    http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/...=.jsp&c_id=cin

  2. #2
    We are the angry mob cincyinco's Avatar
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    We certainly didn't take him due to signability. If ownership ponies up close to 8 million for this guy I'll take Catellini a bit more seriously. If they punt the pick.. well then... as the ol' yogi'ism goes.. Its de ja vu all over again.
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    I'm a big fan of the pick. I like going with a guy who is as a sure a thing as there is. Seems like a good kid to boot and anybody who works out with A-Rod has to have a great work ethic.
    Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.

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    We are the angry mob cincyinco's Avatar
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Quote Originally Posted by RedsManRick View Post
    I'm a big fan of the pick. I like going with a guy who is as a sure a thing as there is. Seems like a good kid to boot and anybody who works out with A-Rod has to have a great work ethic.

    Oh, there's a joke inside there somewhere about working out with Arod.. :P
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Quote Originally Posted by RedsManRick View Post
    I'm a big fan of the pick. I like going with a guy who is as a sure a thing as there is. Seems like a good kid to boot and anybody who works out with A-Rod has to have a great work ethic.
    Trust me, as a 'Canes fan I have had the opportunity to see Yonder for the last 3 years. He is as good as advertised, and should be a star. He also is a nice guy, and has a great attitude. His upbringing makes him humble, and very thankful for all he has achieved.

    I talked to him several weeks ago at the U's baseball "Team Feed" (a party given by the Diamond Dolls & Diamond Studs, a U of Miami booster club) and he is just as genuine as can be, and excited to be a major league baseball player.

    But if you don't sign him, we'll gladly take him back for his senior season with the 'Canes.

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    My clutch is broken RichRed's Avatar
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Quote Originally Posted by RedsManRick View Post
    I'm a big fan of the pick. I like going with a guy who is as a sure a thing as there is. Seems like a good kid to boot and anybody who works out with A-Rod has to have a great work ethic.
    From what I've read, I like it too. Chris Buckley called him a "high on-base percentage guy." It's refreshing to see someone in the organization explicitly recognizing the value in that.
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    The Future GoReds33's Avatar
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Eight million is rediculious for this guy. Sure he's good, but we should have went with somebody who's not using his one year of eligibility as leverage. If I were the Reds I would have went with somebody willing to sign for around 3 million. We could save the eight million, and use it toward Adam Dunn's next contract, and he's much more of a "sure thing."

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    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Quote Originally Posted by GoReds33 View Post
    Eight million is rediculious for this guy. Sure he's good, but we should have went with somebody who's not using his one year of eligibility as leverage. If I were the Reds I would have went with somebody willing to sign for around 3 million. We could save the eight million, and use it toward Adam Dunn's next contract, and he's much more of a "sure thing."
    You think 5 million bucks is going to make or break a 4 or 5 year deal Dunn is going to want? Thats a million bucks a year, if that stops them from deciding on Dunn or not something is wrong.

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    The Future GoReds33's Avatar
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Quote Originally Posted by dougdirt View Post
    You think 5 million bucks is going to make or break a 4 or 5 year deal Dunn is going to want? Thats a million bucks a year, if that stops them from deciding on Dunn or not something is wrong.
    Nope. I just think that the five million would be better spent ensuring that Adam Dunn is here, rather than putting it towards a college first baseman who may never set foot on a big league diamond.

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    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Quote Originally Posted by GoReds33 View Post
    Nope. I just think that the five million would be better spent ensuring that Adam Dunn is here, rather than putting it towards a college first baseman who may never set foot on a big league diamond.
    Welll from the sounds of it you would rather the Reds just sign mlb vets and not spend 10-15 million on development at all then....

  11. #11
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Quote Originally Posted by dougdirt View Post
    Welll from the sounds of it you would rather the Reds just sign mlb vets and not spend 10-15 million on development at all then....
    I have no problem with putting money into development, but eight million dollars is too much for a small market team to spend on a player who may never see a MLB field. That's all I'm saying. I have no problem with spending 2 million on Duran. Duran is a great prospect. What I'm saying is that for a team that doesn't sell out many games, and doesn't have the market of Chicago or New York, we need to spend like it. The Yankees can take risks like this because they have eight million to spend, but I don't want that money being spent on a player that isn't already proven.

  12. #12
    A Pleasure to Burn Joseph's Avatar
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    I don't like the pick when the SS we need is there and by the numbers looked every bit as good as this guy.

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    Titanic Struggles Caveat Emperor's Avatar
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Quote Originally Posted by Joseph View Post
    I don't like the pick when the SS we need is there and by the numbers looked every bit as good as this guy.
    Yup.

    His bat had better be exponentially better than Beckham's, because he has absolutely no other tools to fall back on. At least Beckham has the potential to play premium defensive positions if his stick doesn't live up to the hype.

    Unless you're drafting Frank Thomas or Prince Fielder, picking a 1st baseman this high is just a waste of an opportunity.
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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    I like the pick and i'm starting to think we are moving up from smaller market to a medium to large market once we get things rolling here.

    Great outlook for the Redlegs!

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    Re: Alonso thrilled to go to Reds at No. 7

    Is Yonder Alonso spanish for Jack Cust?


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