Who is Redszone's #5 prospect?

[osuceltic]

This is neither here nor there, but I had to post it. I just found out Drew Stubbs is white. With all the toolsy, speedy talk, along with the fact that Drew Stubbs just sounds like a black guy's name, I assumed he was black. This comes on the heels of the September revelation that Chris Dickerson is black. It's like my whole world has been turned upside down.

Carry on.

[bucksfan2]

.304/.413/.608 in 120 PAs -- plus speed and decent defense

if that's "holding your own," what's doing well?

I was never a big Dickerson fan as he rose through the minors, but I saw enough really good ABs from him while he was up to become a believer -- the guy is going to have a solid big league career, maybe a good one -- whether he's a 600AB guy or a 300AB guy, I don't know, but he's going to have a job for many years, I think, assuming he stays healthy

I was very impressed with his ABs and also his bat speed. Unfortunately for Dickerson he was injured so we really didn't get to see how he made adjustments when the league adjusted for him.

He held his own because he didn't fall flat on his face. He exceeded what everyone expect out of him. IMO he should be the starting CF going into next season and play CF or LF (when Stubbs is in CF) everyday for the entire season. I don't want him benched or sent to the minors because he struggles from time to time. I think right now he is a more valuable player than Jr. and with an OF of Stubbs, Dickerson, and Bruce you will see a great defensive outfield.

[OnBaseMachine]

This is neither here nor there, but I had to post it. I just found out Drew Stubbs is white. With all the toolsy, speedy talk, along with the fact that Drew Stubbs just sounds like a black guy's name, I assumed he was black. This comes on the heels of the September revelation that Chris Dickerson is black. It's like my whole world has been turned upside down.

Carry on.

What would you say if I told you Chris Valaika was from the Dominican Republic and resembles Vladimir Guerrero in the face?

[Scrap Irony]

I picked Valaika and I know I like him more than most. The primary reason Valaika is most attractive as a prospect is a combination of talent, success, and position scarcity. If Valaika has an average glove, he's going to be near All-Star level.

Valaika's bat is good now and projects to get better. He's a strong kid and my guess is that he will be assisted most by the short porches and jet streams in the Queen City more than any other prospect. Not only that, Valaika is a natural #2 hitter, especially in terms of Dusty-Ball (i.e., middle infielder, refuses to beat himself, decent speed, decent bat handler). This should mean more fastballs (which he has plus batspeed for) while hitting in front of Votto, Bruce, and that erstwhile RH LF bopper.

He's also only 23 and should develop more power as he progresses along the way. Since he hits for a high average now, this should mean much more power, at least over the next five to eight years.

Oh, and did I mention the fact that there's a pretty wide-open position in Cincinnati right now at SS? Both the manager and the GM are more than willing to take a chance on an offensive-minded player, as seen with previous choices. Or was David Eckstein really a great glove?

Too, AGon can't stay healthy, Keppinger was exposed as a platoon partner only, and Janish's bat is too light for full-time duty. The only other option is one-year wonder Jerry Hairston. And, if you're going to trust Hairston's glove at short, Valaika's is going to look Ozzie.

[fearofpopvol1]

Thompson

My reasons were cited in the last thread.

[OnBaseMachine]

What would you say if I told you Chris Valaika was from the Dominican Republic and resembles Vladimir Guerrero in the face?

Just kidding of course. Valaika is as white as can be. I don't want anyone to think I'm an idiot or anything (if they don't already).

[OnBaseMachine]

This poll has been more diverse. Every prospect listed has at least one vote except for Carlos Fisher. Half of the prospects listed have received at least five votes. We're at 89 votes so far, hopefully we can get up in the 130 area before the poll closes.

[BRM]

I don't want anyone to think I'm an idiot or anything (if they don't already).

Too late.

[OnBaseMachine]

Too late.

[BRM]

Put that away. This is a family board.

[camisadelgolf]

Yorman....pretty close to a no brainer for me.

What about Juan Duran?

[camisadelgolf]

This poll has been more diverse. Every prospect listed has at least one vote except for Carlos Fisher. Half of the prospects listed have received at least five votes. We're at 89 votes so far, hopefully we can get up in the 130 area before the poll closes.

Should we do it like before? If a player doesn't receive X% of the votes, then there is a new vote with the top vote-getters. I think 40% would be appropriate.

[bucksfan2]

Should we do it like before? If a player doesn't receive X% of the votes, then there is a new vote with the top vote-getters. I think 40% would be appropriate.

Runoff vote?

[camisadelgolf]

Runoff vote?

Yeah, exactly. I tried to think of the term, but I kept drawing a blank.

[OnBaseMachine]

We'll see how close this thing is when it ends tomorrow night at 9:00 PM. If it's still fairly close then we can do a runoff vote.