Who is Redszone's #22 prospect?

[OnBaseMachine]

Yonder Alonso has been named the 34th best prospect in all of baseball by milb.com... btw that list is awful IMO.

Statistically speaking: After getting in six games with Sarasota in the Florida State League, Alonso showed just what made him the No. 7 overall pick in the Draft in Hawaii. He finished ninth in average (.308), sixth in OBP (.419) and fifth in SLG (.510). That made his OPS of .929 the fourth-best in the winter circuit.

Scouting report: A pro at the plate, Alonso should be a run producer with good plate discipline and power. Showed power mostly to the middle and opposite field in college, but will learn to turn on pitches. He doesn't run well, but he doesn't clog the bases and he's just fine at first base defensively.

Upside potential: A middle-of-the-order run producer who hits for average and power.

They said it: "He swung the bat the way everyone that had seen and scouted him thought he would. He hit some home runs and drove in some big runs." -- Reds Minor League Director Terry Reynolds

He said it: "I play with a lot of hunger. I consider myself a line-drive hitter. I can drive the ball, but I'm more of a gap-to-gap guy. I'm a very passionate guy. I take baseball very seriously. I'm a winner."

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/minorleagues/...top&pid=475174

[Mario-Rijo]

Yonder Alonso has been named the 34th best prospect in all of baseball by milb.com... btw that list is awful IMO.

Statistically speaking: After getting in six games with Sarasota in the Florida State League, Alonso showed just what made him the No. 7 overall pick in the Draft in Hawaii. He finished ninth in average (.308), sixth in OBP (.419) and fifth in SLG (.510). That made his OPS of .929 the fourth-best in the winter circuit.

Scouting report: A pro at the plate, Alonso should be a run producer with good plate discipline and power. Showed power mostly to the middle and opposite field in college, but will learn to turn on pitches. He doesn't run well, but he doesn't clog the bases and he's just fine at first base defensively.

Upside potential: A middle-of-the-order run producer who hits for average and power.

They said it: "He swung the bat the way everyone that had seen and scouted him thought he would. He hit some home runs and drove in some big runs." -- Reds Minor League Director Terry Reynolds

He said it: "I play with a lot of hunger. I consider myself a line-drive hitter. I can drive the ball, but I'm more of a gap-to-gap guy. I'm a very passionate guy. I take baseball very seriously. I'm a winner."

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/minorleagues/...top&pid=475174

What did you find bad about the list?

[OnBaseMachine]

What did you find bad about the list?

Jeff Samardzija at #50? He's got a career 4.26 ERA in the minors with a 9.26 H/9, 0.92 HR/9, and only 166 K's in 285 innings. He's not in my top 100.

Adam Miller #41? He can't stay healthy and has thrown a combined total of 94 innings in the last two seasons.

Nick Adenhart #35? I like him as a prospect but he had a disastrous season and should probably rank somewhere outside the top 50.

I've just been underwhelmed with the list so far.

[dougdirt]

Jeff Samardzija at #50? He's got a career 4.26 ERA in the minors with a 9.26 H/9, 0.92 HR/9, and only 166 K's in 285 innings. He's not in my top 100.

Adam Miller #41? He can't stay healthy and has thrown a combined total of 94 innings in the last two seasons.

Nick Adenhart #35? I like him as a prospect but he had a disastrous season and should probably rank somewhere outside the top 50.

I've just been underwhelmed with the list so far.

I really like Jeff Samardzija, but even I ranked him 17th in the NL Central about a week and a half ago.

[Mario-Rijo]

Jeff Samardzija at #50? He's got a career 4.26 ERA in the minors with a 9.26 H/9, 0.92 HR/9, and only 166 K's in 285 innings. He's not in my top 100.

Adam Miller #41? He can't stay healthy and has thrown a combined total of 94 innings in the last two seasons.

Nick Adenhart #35? I like him as a prospect but he had a disastrous season and should probably rank somewhere outside the top 50.

I've just been underwhelmed with the list so far.

I asked because I am not nearly as adept at others prospects as ours. That said even I know Samardzija shouldn't be on it. Miller's potential may be #41 but not once combined with his production/issues, again I agree with ya. Adenhart I'm torn on probably because I don't have much of a scouting report on him.

That said I was checking out a top 100 list the other day and it had Justin Smoak in the 10-20 range and Alonso in the 40-50 range and I was pretty surprised by that. SO i guess what I'm saying is what is their definition of a prospect and what bias' do they have?

[REDblooded]

What do I have to do to get people to consider Ismael Guillon?

Tell me more about him

[BigRed07]

I saw this in the Old Red Guard forum. I wonder if Marty and Thom voted. I voted for Justin Turner again.

Here is the recap of some the Reds Hot Stove League show for 12-2-08.

The question of what the Reds needed to do to make the playoffs was brought up. Marty thinks they need a RH power bat and Thom thinks they need pitching and the starters have to win at least 60 games between them.

Someone wanted to know the status of the Dye trade talks. Both like Dye but Marty is a bit concerned with his age.

Another person wanted to know what the Reds were going to do about the catching situation. Thom said the Reds are in the same boat a lot of clubs are in. He also said that that while there may be some good young catching talent out there, teams keep sigining veterans and the kids never get a chance.

Someone asked who Marty and Thom who they would like to see the Reds get at the Winter meetings. They didn't say cause it may be construed as tampering. Thom wouldn't mind getting the Big Unit on the cheap.

Someone else asked if Johnson was a good mentor for younger pitchers and if Owings could be a starter. Thom said that Johnson was very self centered until a few years ago but he's better with younger pitchers now.

Phil Castellini joined the Brennamans and talked about Reds Fest. There will be single game packages for select games on sale in the all you can eat section. They will have a kids car race on an oval track and a Marty Brennaman long drive competition. They will have info on the Civil Rights game and there will be two separate entrances to get in there.

Someone wanted to know who the hottest prospects were. They mentioned Turner, Valiaka, Frazier, Francisco and Alonso.

Someone wanted to know what the winter meetings would bring as far as trades and signings (not sure if he meant the Reds or MLB in general). Marty said that a few weeks ago Walt mentioned Mulder but hasn't heard anything about it since.

Someone wanted to know if the Reds could get Peavy on the cheap. Marty said he won't come cheap. Thom said that a lot of these teams don't get what they are looking for initially in these trades. He said if the Cubs could get Peavy for Marshall and Pie it would be a steal.
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[camisadelgolf]

Tell me more about him

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot that can be said about him because very few people have seen him pitch in person. Like I told dougdirt, he was rated the #13 international prospect this year, is 6'3", left-handed, throws 92 MPH, and is only 16 years old. Also, the Mets apparently offered him $1.2 million. That's about as much as the 20th pick in the amateur draft signs for although as Doug began to point out, the signing bonus an international prospect gets isn't worth as much as the money a draftee gets because the draftee doesn't have 29 other teams competing for his services.

[OnBaseMachine]

Prospect report: System continues to produce

In 2008, the Cincinnati farm system churned out first baseman Joey Votto, outfielder Jay Bruce and pitcher Johnny Cueto.

"We're trying to build around the young nucleus we've got," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty says, "and we've got guys coming, particularly with our pitching."

Here's a look at some of the Reds' top prospects:

•RHP Homer Bailey: After a strong start at Class AAA Louisville in 2008, Bailey, 22, finished 4-7 with a 4.77 ERA in 19 games.

In two big-league stints, he went 0-6 with a 7.93 ERA, allowing 59 hits in 36⅓ innings.

"I saw his last playoff game against (Class AAA) Durham," Jocketty says. "He was as good as any young pitcher I've seen, throwing a 92- to 94-mph fastball and touched 96 mph, with a good slider and change. He'll get there."

•SS Chris Valaika: Valaika, 23, led the organization with a .317 batting average, hitting 18 homers and driving in 81 runs in 129 games between high-A Sarasota (Fla.) and Class AA Chattanooga (Tenn.). He's solid defensively, but his range is limited. He could eventually wind up as an offensive-minded second baseman.

•1B Yonder Alonso: Alonso, 21, was selected seventh overall in the 2008 draft out of the University of Miami. He batted .308 with four homers and 21 RBI in 29 games in the Hawaiian Winter League.

He has exceptional plate discipline and makes hard contact with power to all fields. He's also an adept defensive first baseman.

•SS Todd Frazier: Frazier, 22, batted .291 with 19 homers and 74 RBI over two Class A levels in 2008. He has fabulous instincts and works the count well. He's fundamentally sound at shortstop but can also play first base, third base and the corner outfield positions.

•3B Neftali Soto: Soto has raw power, particularly to the opposite field. He also plays great defense at third base with a great arm. The Reds will carefully monitor his progress as he is 19 years old.

•OF Drew Stubbs: Stubbs, 23, led the organization with 33 steals and had seven homers and 57 RBI while playing exceptional defense in 2008. He has shortened his swing, reducing his power, but it's still long. He is prone to chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

•CF Yorman Rodriguez: Signed this summer out of Venezuela for $2.5 million, Rodriguez is a true five-tool athlete with tremendous power, speed and a strong arm. He has a long swing and should make more contact, but at 16, there's time to mature.

•3B Juan Francisco: Francisco, 21, continues to emerge as the organization's top power prospect. He finished among the top five hitters in the high-A Florida State League in hits, doubles, homers, RBI and slugging percentage. He batted .277-23-92, leading the system in homers and RBI, but he also struck out 123 times while walking 19 times.

•OF Juan Duran: Duran received a $2 million bonus this summer out of the Dominican Republic. He has an athletic frame, long arms and power. Although 17, he has great knowledge of the strike zone.

•RHP Kyle Lotzkar: Perhaps the Reds' best raw pitching talent, Lotzkar was striking out nearly 12 batters every nine innings in the Midwest League in 2008 before he was sidelined with a small fracture in his elbow. Lotzkar, 19, returned healthy to the instructional league. He still is wild, but fearless.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseb...l-report_N.htm

[redsof72]

As much as I like Soto, to say he plays great defense at third base...hmmm. He is average at third base for a Single-A player at this point. Brandon Waring clearly has an edge on Soto defensively at third base. If you want evidence of that, note that Donnie Scott played Waring at third for every playoff game and DH'd Soto. To go a step further, Soto played third base in only one of the final 10 games of the regular season prior to the team clinching, and then once they clinched, he played third in two of the final three games.

Soto is a great prospect, but some of these prospect publications just make the story taller and taller. You wonder after reading some of them why a team doesn't simply move all their prospects straight to the major leagues.

[OnBaseMachine]

Yeah, the part about Soto playing great defense made me shake my head. As I understand it, he does have a strong arm and maybe the tools to be a solid defender in the future, but to call him a great defender at this point is just wrong.

[redsof72]

Yes, strong arm, shows signs of being a good defensive third baseman some day. There are probably some on this board who saw his first defensive chance in Dayton this season. Routine ground ball, fielded with no problem, wound up and threw an absolute rocket---about 10 rows up in the stands. McKennon did not even begin to reach for it. But he was just pumped up a little, playing in front of 8,000 fans.

[OnBaseMachine]

About 45 minutes remaining until this poll closes.

[OnBaseMachine]

Buck wins by four votes. The next poll will be open in a few minutes.