Turn Off Ads?
Page 1 of 6 12345 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 94

Thread: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    New Fever posted this last week but it got lost when Redszone went down. Baseball America will release the scouting reports along with best tools and a Reds chat on Friday. I'll post the chat and a summary of the scouting reports when they are made available Friday afternoon.

    1. Yonder Alonso, 1B
    2. Todd Frazier, SS
    3. Drew Stubbs, OF
    4. Chris Valaika, SS
    5. Yorman Rodriguez, OF
    6. Kyle Lotzkar, RHP
    7. Neftali Soto, 3B
    8. Juan Francisco, 3B
    8. Juan Duran, OF
    10. Devin Mesoraco, C

    http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/
    Last edited by OnBaseMachine; 01-21-2009 at 05:18 PM.

  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    5

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    Number 1 Yonder will be in attendance tonight!

    Your 2009 Cincinnati Reds are hitting the road and making some stops on their annual Reds Caravan to meet their fans and get them excited for the upcoming seasons. Today, from 4:30-7:00pm, one of those stops will occur right here in the ‘Ville at Louisville Slugger Field, home of its Triple-A affiliate the Louisville Bats. The event is free....

    For more details go to:

    http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/r...field-tonight/

  3. #3
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    49,393

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    I talked with JJ last week and here were a few things he had to say

    Me: With Joey Votto currently at first base and a slew of prospects that fit that 3B/1B/LF mold in the Reds system, how do you see it working out or how could it work out?

    JJ Cooper: I don't think the Reds themselves are sure on how it all will work out, but if I had to make my guess. Long-term I think that Votto ends up moving to LF because he can handle the position adequately. Alonso is the first baseman while Frazier is the third baseman (this is assuming that by 2010-2011 Edwin Encarnacion has been dealt away or left in free agency).

    Of course that still leaves Soto and Francisco on the outside looking in, and I can't tell you with any confidence that they won't be in the big leagues bopping by two or three years from now, but as of right now, I'd say it's more likely that Votto, Frazier and Alonso are holding down those spots. Of course, the Reds could also swing some trades that will make this prediction completely moot.

    Me: Outside of the top prospects (Drew Stubbs, Daryl Thompson, Josh Roenicke), who could be a guy that could come in during the 2009 season and really help out the Reds?

    JJ Cooper: Valaika's a top prospect too, but since he wasn't listed among your examples I'll throw him out there, but I think he could end up helping out late in the season. As far as a sleeper, Ramon Ramirez could be a useful fifth starter/bullpen arm, although there's also a decent chance he'll be part of what should be a very deep Triple-A rotation.

    Me: The Reds lack a big time top 25 type prospect this year after graduating a few of them last year, but they still seem to have a lot of depth in the system. Depth wise how do they stack up against the rest of baseball?

    JJ Cooper:
    I'd say Alonso could sneak into the top 25, but yeah, the system is deeper this year with less impact talent. As far as depth, there aren't many teams who have as many potential big leaguers in Double-A and Triple-A. Now a lot of those potential big leaguers will be backups, role players or fill-ins, but the Reds have a lot of depth.

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    Good stuff Doug. Great job as always.

  5. #5
    Member camisadelgolf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Cincinnati, OH
    Posts
    12,404

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    Before the crash, I remember a lot of people criticizing the list for having Soto at number seven. I think people don't realize how easily he could turn out to be the next Tony Blanco. Don't get me wrong, though--I think Soto's a great prospect--I'm just empathizing with the naysayers.

  6. #6
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Mid Ohio Valley
    Posts
    8,592

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    One pitcher in the top 10.

    That really sums it up for me.
    Quote Originally Posted by savafan View Post
    I've read books about sparkling vampires who walk around in the daylight that were written better than a John Fay article.

  7. #7
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    Quote Originally Posted by WVRed View Post
    One pitcher in the top 10.

    That really sums it up for me.
    To be fair, Daryl Thompson is most likely a top ten prospect in a lot of organizations. He's never going to be ace but I think he could develop into a solid middle of rotation starter. Homer Bailey would have been in the top ten if he were still eligible. With that being said, I think bats are clearly the strong point of the Reds farm system at this point. That's also true for every organization in the NL Central.

  8. #8
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    49,393

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    Quote Originally Posted by WVRed View Post
    One pitcher in the top 10.

    That really sums it up for me.
    That said, Ramon Ramirez isn't likely in the top 20 of the BA rankings and he showed himself pretty well in the majors (and minors for that matter).

  9. #9
    The Future GoReds33's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Posts
    2,468

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    Quote Originally Posted by camisadelgolf View Post
    Before the crash, I remember a lot of people criticizing the list for having Soto at number seven. I think people don't realize how easily he could turn out to be the next Tony Blanco. Don't get me wrong, though--I think Soto's a great prospect--I'm just empathizing with the naysayers.
    Sorry I didn't see this earlier, however I think that is a great statement. Soto has a great upside, but his downside can be just as steep.
    If you can't build a winning team with that core a fire-sale isn't the solution. Selling the franchise, moving them to Nashville and converting GABP into a used car lot is.
    -LTlabner

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Shelburne Falls, MA
    Posts
    12,215

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    That said, Ramon Ramirez isn't likely in the top 20 of the BA rankings and he showed himself pretty well in the majors (and minors for that matter).
    Absolutely. Seems to me guys like Ramirez, Hanigan and Dickerson -- all of whom still project as rookies, I think -- are all but ignored by the listmakers, despite the fact that they all showed very well in their first exposure to the majors. Huge blind spot on the part of the prospect "experts," due, I'd say, to their inability to see players they haven't seen coming.

    I'm not saying these players should be hailed as potential all-stars. But they do appear to have the ability to be helpful on a major league roster right now -- and that should be readily acknowledged in any "professional" evaluation of the team's farm system. While I understand the emphasis on star quality, it is a failure of the evaluators to overlook the players who are ready to contribute -- these players are often the late-stage "depth" the evaluators claim to be able to identify within a minor league system.

  11. #11
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    1,626

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    I think the real danger is putting too much credibility into the lists. They are fun to read, but Baseball America has no scouts. They simply compile opinions and try to reach a consensus. Projecting what a minor league player will do several years into the future is a very difficult thing. Geez, the Reds are not even able to predict what their own players will do THAT season. I had a key member of the Reds organization tell me late last March that Brandon Menchaca would be an all-star. He hit .176. How long did it take them to figure out that Jeremy Horst could get hitters out? There was debate within the organization as to whether he could even be a starter, and then he becomes a starter and dominates the league. So while I enjoy reading their opinions, the mistake is to assume that because they say Homer Bailey or Gookie Dawkins is a future star, then he will be. Or someone else won't be. Remember that in 2008, Daryl Thompson didn't even crack their top 30, and he was starting games in the big leagues before the all-star break.

  12. #12
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Shelburne Falls, MA
    Posts
    12,215

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    I think the real danger is putting too much credibility into the lists.
    I agree. BA tends to get into ruts with their lists -- guys drafted highly get entrenched. Players BA ranked highly as amateurs get preferential listing upon entering pro ball. In large part, their rankings are predictable. However, occasionally a guy without a lot of hype will show up, and that's interesting to me.

  13. #13
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    49,393

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    More than just the list, I am a fan of the 'best tools' list. Lots of names across the list this year. It hasn't always been that way.

  14. #14
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Baseball America's Top Ten Reds prospects

    The scouting reports are out. I'll try to post a summary later. The reports on Yorman and Duran are awesome.

    Here are the best tools:

    Best Hitter for Average - Yonder Alonso
    Best Power Hitter - Juan Francisco
    Best Strike-Zone Discipline - Yonder Alonso
    Fastest Baserunner - Theodis Bowe
    Best Athlete - Yorman Rodriguez
    Best Fastball - Josh Roenicke
    Best Curveball - Kyle Lotzkar
    Best Slider - Jordan Smith
    Best Changeup - Ramon Ramirez
    Best Control - Robert Manuel
    Best Defensive Catcher - Ryan Hanigan
    Best Defensive Infielder - Zach Cozart
    Best Infield Arm - Juan Francisco
    Best Defensive Outfielder - Drew Stubbs
    Best Outfield Arm - Yorman Rodriguez

  15. #15
    The Future is Now Ghosts of 1990's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    4,210

    Baseball America has their Reds write up.

    2009 Attendance Record: 3-5 2010 Attendance Record: 2-9 2015 Attendance Record: 2-0
    2011 Attendance Record: 3-4 2012 Attendance Record: 3-4
    2013 Attendance Record: 5-2 2014 Attendance Record: 3-1


Turn Off Ads?

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.

Thank you, and most importantly, enjoy yourselves!


RedsZone.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds or Major League Baseball


Contact us: Boss | Gallen5862 | Plus Plus | Powel Crosley | RedlegJake | The Operator