Neftali Soto

[Blitz Dorsey]

Very pleased to see him develop like this. He leads all Reds minor league players with 22 HRs this season ... and he's done it in just 277 at-bats. He's got a robust OPS of .931. All at the age of 22 at the Double-A level.

I expect him to be put on the 40-man roster this offseason and begin the 2012 campaign at Louisville. Long-term, he could be the answer at first base for the Reds if disaster occurs and we don't re-sign Votto.

Supplemental third-round pick in 2007 for those who don't know.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...pbp&pid=519304

[dougdirt]

I would like to see some better plate discipline out of him, but man, the ball jumps off of his bat in a big way. Can't wait to see him in 8 days.

[mth123]

Another reason that Alonso could be dealt for something they need without "mortgaging the future."

[dougdirt]

Another reason that Alonso could be dealt for something they need without "mortgaging the future."

Eh, I wouldn't go that far just yet. Soto doesn't really have all that good of plate discipline right now, so he is far from a sure thing to count on at this point.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Eh, I wouldn't go that far just yet. Soto doesn't really have all that good of plate discipline right now, so he is far from a sure thing to count on at this point.

Well, Soto certainly isn't a sure thing ... but Alonso isn't either. I just think the point he was trying to make was that the Reds can't really use "We can't trade Alonso because he's our Plan B if we lose Votto" excuse when they also have Soto high in the ranks as a first baseman.

[dougdirt]

Well, Soto certainly isn't a sure thing ... but Alonso isn't either. I just think the point he was trying to make was that the Reds can't really use "We can't trade Alonso because he's our Plan B if we lose Votto" excuse when they also have Soto high in the ranks as a first baseman.

Alonso is much more of a sure thing though. Yes, both still have to prove it, but Yonder has something that tends to project well moving forward (good plate discipline), while Soto has something that tends not to (poor plate discipline).

[UKFlounder]

Is it fair to compare Soto to Juan Francisco at all?

[JKam]

It's a shame Soto couldn't stick at third base. With his bat, he could have been an All-Star at 3B.

Didn't Soto start off as a SS? Then he moved to 3B. Then he moved to catcher. Now he's 1B. He pretty much ran the gamut there. All that is left is DH.

[Vottomatic]

Didn't Soto start off as a SS? Then he moved to 3B. Then he moved to catcher. Now he's 1B. He pretty much ran the gamut there. All that is left is DH.

They're going to try him at pitcher next year.

[partisan]

Is it fair to compare Soto to Juan Francisco at all?

Slightly better BB/K ratio, but still suffers from the same lack of discipline.

[dougdirt]

Slightly better BB/K ratio, but still suffers from the same lack of discipline.

Eh, Soto has much better plate discipline than Francisco does, which says a whole lot about Francisco.

Soto has a K/BB this season of 3.73 and his career is 3.63.
Francisco has a K/BB this season of 6.00 and his career is 5.91.

That isn't slightly better, that is incredibly better.

But as for a tools comparison at the plate, I think that game power wise, they are pretty equal. Francisco has Raw power that hardly anyone has, but he can't use it as often because he swings at too many crappy pitches because at times he can hit those pitches for singles. The hit tool probably plays the same as well, though Francisco's hit tool is better on the Raw side, it plays down because he swings at so much crap at times.

[partisan]

Eh, Soto has much better plate discipline than Francisco does, which says a whole lot about Francisco.

Soto has a K/BB this season of 3.73 and his career is 3.63.
Francisco has a K/BB this season of 6.00 and his career is 5.91.

That isn't slightly better, that is incredibly better.

But as for a tools comparison at the plate, I think that game power wise, they are pretty equal. Francisco has Raw power that hardly anyone has, but he can't use it as often because he swings at too many crappy pitches because at times he can hit those pitches for singles. The hit tool probably plays the same as well, though Francisco's hit tool is better on the Raw side, it plays down because he swings at so much crap at times.

I stand corrected. I thought I was looking at career numbers when I clearly wasn't.

[TRF]

Did anyone pick Soto as their minor league breakout player for redszone for 2011?

[muddie]

Should be no surprise that Neftali Soto has been selected as the Southern League's Hitter of the Week for August 1-7, 2011.