Yasmani Grandal

[mdccclxix]

I'm betting given that Grandal shares tons of similarites with Alonso - Same School, same agent, same hitting numbers - that it goes down to the wire and he only plays in the AFL this year.

And for anyone wondering about Mesorasco & Soto - Take a gander at the Angels & Rangers recent history with highly rated catchers in the minor league system. Some of those guys are going to fail - plain & simple. Doesn't hurt to have a backup plan at a premium position.

It's insane that the Reds have been a catching wasteland for so long, and now the team is rife with potential big league catchers.

Hopefully he (and the Reds) learns from Yonder's mistake and signs early so he can start getting acclimated sooner. I thought with all that both sides demanded from Yonder it was a shame to waste July and August on negotiations.

[Puffy]

Scott Boras's M.O. is to not even begin negotiations until 3 days before the deadline. I am with Josh here that its probably AFL all the way.

[Benihana]

Scott Boras's M.O. is to not even begin negotiations until 3 days before the deadline. I am with Josh here that its probably AFL all the way.

Good thing Scott Boras isn't his agent

But I agree- I think Grandal will probably follow a similar path to Alonso, both in negotiations and how he goes through the minors. Hopefully he has more success than Alonso has had so far.

[NorrisHopper30]

I love his OBP.

[Puffy]

My bad - I thought I read that Boras was advising Grandal

[OnBaseMachine]

From John Fay - Grandal says he’s ready to sign

Reds’ top pick, Yasmani Grandal, denied that his agents tried to work a pre-draft deal with the Kansas City Royals or anyone one else.

“That’s not accurate,” he said. “I didn’t have any pre-draft deals. I had no clue what was going on. I don’t know where the rumor started. I didn’t speak the Royals or anybody.”

Grandal said he is signable.

“I’m ready to start,’ he said. “A professional career is what I’ve always wanted. For the Reds to give me an opportunity, to be picked in the first round, it’s just great. I’m ready to go.”

to read more: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/201...ready-to-sign/

[HeatherC1212]

Yasmani Grandal was on the phone with Thom and Chris during the game tonight and he seems like a good kid with a decent head on his shoulders. He said he's ready to begin his professional career, he actually knew a little bit about the team and it's history (rattled off a few names from the Big Red Machine including Johnny, Pete, and Tony Perez), and also said that with his game being rained out last night and the team having to finish that game today, all the draft stuff hasn't quite hit him yet. He said he thinks it will very soon though! He seemed kind of quiet but maybe he was just still trying to soak everything in. Good kid. I really like this pick.

[OnBaseMachine]

With the Reds selecting a catcher in the first round, it was only a matter of time before the name of Johnny Bench was uttered during the conversation. Bench, a Reds legend and Hall of Famer, is considered by many to be the greatest catcher of all time.

"I'm speechless," Grandal said of playing for the same organization as Bench. "I just want to thank the Reds for giving me the opportunity to follow the types of footsteps like Johnny Bench and the other great players that have played for the Reds."

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

[COM2010]

When I listened to that conversation between Chris and Thom, and Yasmani, I was impressed that he knew of the Reds greats. He didn't sound like he was just reciting names, it was the way he talked about the greats that told me he KNOWS the Reds.

On the negative side, he didn't sound all that confident about getting things rolling with the Reds. Maybe it was just the whole "being realistic" thing about even getting to the big leagues, or maybe he got a little spooked with all the "Good luck" wishings from Chris and Thom.

[klw]

Grandal update from Fay
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/201...smani-grandal/

I also asked Walt Jocketty about top pick Yasmani Grandal.

“We haven’t done much,” Jocketty said. “They told us how much money they wanted. That’s about it. It will come down to next week.”

[camisadelgolf]

It wouldn't break my heart if he doesn't sign. Next year's draft is looking stronger, and this is the best the organization's catching has been in years.

I remember a time when the Reds had all these guys in the minors within a year or two of each other:
Jason LaRue
Corky Miller
Guillermo Garcia
Jayhawk Owens
Justin Towle (such a heart-breaker when he retired)
Brook Fordyce
Paul Bako

[WebScorpion]

I just have a feeling he's going to sign, but I wouldn't be crushed if we got a comp pick in next year's draft.

On a side note, Dane Sardinha was a non-roster invitee to the Phils spring training and he's now their backup catcher. He got his first Major League home run this season at the age of 31. He can still catch and throw with the best of them, but he never did learn how to hit with a wooden stick. Good luck to him.

[Patrick Bateman]

It wouldn't break my heart if he doesn't sign. Next year's draft is looking stronger, and this is the best the organization's catching has been in years.

I remember a time when the Reds had all these guys in the minors within a year or two of each other:
Jason LaRue
Corky Miller
Guillermo Garcia
Jayhawk Owens
Justin Towle (such a heart-breaker when he retired)
Brook Fordyce
Paul Bako

What was the story behind Towle?

[camisadelgolf]

What was the story behind Towle?

He had excellent numbers as a minor leaguer and was a legitimate prospect, but he had a nasty shoulder injury that required surgery. He became a minor league free agent and went to camp with Seattle (his hometown), but he retired after a serious back injury if my memory serves me correctly.

[Hondo]

Was this Yasmani Grandal the best available player on the board at the time of pick #12 ?