No. 5 DEVIN MESORACO, C, REDS
Team: high Class A Lynchburg (Carolina)
Age: 21
Why He's Here: .440/.560/.800 (11-for-25), 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 0-for-1 SB
The Scoop: How can you not like what Mesoraco is doing? A 2007 first-round pick, he was just plain bad for three straight years. He struggled through injuries, didn't hit, had problems behind the plate and heard criticism from the scouting community about his conditioning. Now he's not just holding his own, he's dominating the competition, putting up some of the best numbers in the Carolina League. The seven passed balls are a little dicey, but he's thrown out 38 percent of the 21 runners attempting to steal against him. Sure, he's repeating the level, so he's had more time to adjust to the speed of the game, but he's in a new league with the Reds' move from the Florida State to the Carolina League, and it's not like he's facing the same pitchers he did a year ago. We'll wait to see if he can replicate his numbers in Double-A before getting too excited, but the Reds couldn't have drawn up a better way for Mesoraco to start the year.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
• Luis Terrero, rf, Reds. Terrero ranked as the Diamondbacks' No. 11 prospect heading into the 2004 season, but came with the following caveats: "(He's) been a tease for most of his career" and "some fear he could turn into another Ruben Rivera." Terrero, then 24, would see his most extensive big league action in '04, batting 229 times for an 111-loss Arizona club. He hit just .245/.319/.358 with 78 strikeouts in those 62 games, and the D'backs released him unceremoniously at the end of '06 spring training. Terrero proceeded to land one-year gigs with the Orioles, White Sox and Orioles again, totaling a mere 157 big league at-bats. Last season, he latched on with Laguna in the Mexican League, where he batted a robust .345/.440/.603 with 21 homers and 90 RBIs in 388 at-bats. He ranked third in the ML with 54 extra-base hits and continued to hit in the Dominican League. The Reds signed him in January and he's been a welcome addition to their Triple-A Louisville club (after beginning the year with Double-A Carolina). The soon-to-be 30-year-old Terrero went 9-for-18 and belted three home runs this week, bringing his line with the Bats to .406/.406/.750 through 32 at-bats.
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