Who is Redszone's #14 prospect?

[OnBaseMachine]

Prospect #1 - Yonder Alonso
Prospect #2 - Mike Leake
Prospect #3 - Todd Frazier
Prospect #4 - Juan Francisco
Prospect #5 - Yorman Rodriguez
Prospect #6 - Travis Wood
Prospect #7 - Chris Heisey
Prospect #8 - Zack Cozart
Prospect #9 - Brad Boxberger
Prospect #10 - Neftali Soto
Prospect #11 - Matt Maloney
Prospect #12 - Billy Hamilton
Prospect #13 - Chris Valaika

[dougdirt]

Matt Klinker - Highest upside of any starting pitcher left who has actually shown anything at a full season league without a major injury

[REDblooded]

Juan Duran eats upside for dinner... How quickly he became unsexy...

[thatcoolguy_22]

Juan Duran again. Most upside of anyone left and it's in a landslide.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by REDblooded

Juan Duran eats upside for dinner... How quickly he became unsexy...

That will happen with injuries and atrocious performance, even at a young age.

[lollipopcurve]

Ondrusek

[chicoruiz]

I doubt they'd get a lot of support quite yet, but the two other arms added to the 40-man, Del Rosario and Valiquette, should probaly go on here before too awfully long.

[OnBaseMachine]

I'll be voting for Silva and then Duran in the next two polls. I still think very highly of Juan Duran. He struggled this past season but he's still got an extremely high ceiling. He just needs to stay healthy and rack up about 300 atbats next season.

[OnBaseMachine]

Look toward Arizona and the recently completed Arizona Fall League. Carolina manager David Bell managed the Peoria Saguaros, which included seven Reds' prospects, including three of the top five and five of the top 10 in the system.

"They played well," Bell said. "The club has some talent in the system. Let's take a look at the AFL players:

First baseman Yonder Alonso: He's ranked No. 2 in the system by Baseball America. He hit .267 with a .353 on-base percentage with a .393 slugging percentage. He had two home runs and 23 RBI in 86 at-bats after a slow start.

Bell's take: "He's a very mature player. His approach at the plate for a guy without a lot of professional experience is very good. He's young, very young, but watching his approach you'd never know it. The other parts of his game have really improved.

"He's made improvements in all parts of the game. It's been great for him to get the experience out here. He's playing better defense, his baserunning is better. To me, those are the last pieces to getting ready. He's getting closer and closer."

Right-hander Mike Leake: The No. 1 pick this year went 1-2 with a 1.37 ERA in his first taste of pro ball. He struck out 15 and only walked three in 192/3 innings.

Bell's take: "He was really impressive. It's pretty amazing how he handled himself. But for a young kid, he really has a good idea of how to pitch. There are lot of things you can't put your finger on. He changes speeds, arm angles. It's not that he doesn't have good stuff, but the other things stand out so much that nobody talks about his stuff."

Outfielder Chris Heisey: Heisey, rated No. 4 in the system, hit .297 with a .379 on-base and slugged .593.

Bell's take: "He's just a good all-around player. Playing in this league was good for him to get experience against good pitching. He has a good understanding of every part of the game. He has the ability and talent and he's a hard worker.

Right-hander Brad Boxberger: This year's No. 2 pick got roughed up. He was 1-1 with an 11.37 ERA. BA rates him as No. 9 prospect in the organization.

Bell's take: "He's got a very good arm. This was his first professional experience. He had some success. He's in the mid-90s with his fastball.

Shortstop Zack Cozart: He showed more offense than he has, hitting .340 with a .393 on-base. BA rates him No. 10.

Bell's take: "He's solid. Very smart. He's a winning player. He makes everyone around him better. He's good in clutch situations. He has the range to be a big league shortstop, especially with his knowledge of the hitters."

Logan Ondrusek: He was just added to the 40-man. His numbers - 2-1, 13.50 ERA - reflect his early struggles.

Bell's take: "He's got a tremendous arm. He's got a good cut fastball. He can be overpowering."

Sean Watson: He was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA.

Bell's take: "He's a competitive tough kid. He faced a lot of good competition out here."

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2...s+look+to+Farm

[mace]

Rating Duran this high seems like a case of a scouting report gone wild. I understand his body type and power and all that. But the guy still has to demonstrate that he can play baseball. Compare him to Silva, for instance. Admittedly, comparisons are difficult because of limited samples--337 career PAs for Duran, 166 for Silva.

The age difference is only eight months (Silva being older). The slash line difference is much greater. Duran: 194/277/291 (568 OPS). Silva: 280/372/462 (833 OPS).

Both played in the GCL. Duran has a little bit of an injury history. Silva is by all accounts the better defensive and more versatile player.

Maybe the eyeballs have it and Duran is, indeed, the far better prospect. But to this point, there has been no verification of it.

[RedsManRick]

I voted for Klinker. I'm really torn on Dorn. I think he can and will add some real value in a platoon role somewhere, but his skill set is not exactly hard to come by. So he may outproduce a number of guys, but I'm not sure if he's more valuable than them. With our OF depth, if he's not taken in Rule V, I think he's trade bait.

I do wonder though if he might take the Nelson Cruz career path, spending a few years beating up AAA pitching but never getting more than extended cups of coffee until he finds the right organization. Though I suppose he actually needs to beat up on AAA pitching first...

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by RedsManRick

I do wonder though if he might take the Nelson Cruz career path, spending a few years beating up AAA pitching but never getting more than extended cups of coffee until he finds the right organization. Though I suppose he actually needs to beat up on AAA pitching first...

He got off to a slow start, but June-September he hit .312/.394/.551. If he repeats AAA (not getting picked in December), I expect more of the same.

[aubashbrother]

I went with JCS

[RedsManRick]

FWIW, on Dorn:

RedsManRick: Christina, do you think the Reds should have protected Danny Dorn? He's no future all-star, but as the primary half of a LF platoon, it seems he could have a Matt Stairs like career ahead of him.

BP staff member Christina Kahrl: I'd say you're overreaching on the expect-o-meter; even if we credit Dorn for being a platoon player, hitting .297/.364/.481 against Triple-A RHPs isn't that special. His peak projected Equivalent Average is .268, which admittedly builds in his flailing against lefties, but Stairs did better than that, and Dorn only walked (unintentionally) against righties in less than eight percent of his PA. That doesn't seem like special power or an outstanding approach, to compare him to the Wonder Hamster. I guess I look at Dorn and see Doug Jennings, a decent lefty bat with some pop, and if a National League team had a right-handed regular starting at first base and in left, he could make for a useful spot starter and pinch-hitter.