Maybe its me, but I don't see the Jack Cust comparison.... Cust strikes out more than Adam Dunn. Alonso doesn't seem to strike out much at all.
Maybe its me, but I don't see the Jack Cust comparison.... Cust strikes out more than Adam Dunn. Alonso doesn't seem to strike out much at all.
Yup.
His bat had better be exponentially better than Beckham's, because he has absolutely no other tools to fall back on. At least Beckham has the potential to play premium defensive positions if his stick doesn't live up to the hype.
Unless you're drafting Frank Thomas or Prince Fielder, picking a 1st baseman this high is just a waste of an opportunity.
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
Making picks based on who is cheap is what lands you with Chris Gruler instead of Scott Kazmir.
It was the Reds' philosophy for a long time and I'm glad those days are gone. That's just bad business.
Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David
I don't want to mind forking out 8 mil, but I think the ML contract is already in the works, as apparent by the open spot on our 40 man. Sign him soon, as soon as he exits or wins the CWS.
Domo Arigato, Here Comes Joey Votto
---TRF
"I do what I want to do and say what I want to say."
--Bronson Arroyo
Draft update -- Reds pick RHP in 3rd, 4th and 5th;
Thursday, June 5, 2008, 08:08 PM EST
It's just before 7, and the third round has started with the Rays taking UC Davis catcher Jacob Jefferies with the 78th overall pick. The Reds pick 84th overall, so the newest Red should be known rather quickly.
Update: The Reds selected RHP Zachary Stewart out of Texas Tech. Stewart was 3-2 with a 4.98 ERA and three saves for the Red Raiders.
Baseball America had him listed as the No. 46 player in the draft and the Reds got him at 84. That's good value. A reliever who has started, Baseball America said "his best pitch is a92-96 mph fastball with filthy sink. Early in the season, he showed a slarp slider that some scouts graded as a plus-plus offering."
Update 2: In the fourth round, the Reds selected RHP Tyler Cline of Cass High School in Cartersville, Ga. Cline is listed as 6-2, 220 pounds.
Update 3: The fifth-round pick is another right-hander, Clayton Shunick out of N.C. State. Shunick was 7-5 with a 2.16 ERA on an N.C. State team that is also in the NCAA Super Regionals. Shunick will start Game 1 of the Wolfpack's NCAA Super Regional in Athens, Ga., against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Update 4: MLB lied to me. They said they'd only do 5, they did 6. The Reds took SS Alex Buchholz of Delaware.
http://www.thelotd.com/ctrent/blog
Alex Buchholz may hold the key to this draft as much as anyone. If Alonso hits as expected, and Buchholz - who can rake, btw, becomes a top prospect at SS, the Beckham pass may look really smart. The question is whether Buchholz can return to the form that had him crushing opposing pitching his first two years in college. Obviously, the Reds think he can.
Buchholz may be the key to the Alonso pick. If Buckley knew they were going to take him, and maybe they have inside scouting info on him, that is why they took him instead of Beckham. There is always something that we don't know about, maybe the coaches at UD changed something in his swing this year that Buckley will have us readjust to go back to his raking ways.
Domo Arigato, Here Comes Joey Votto
---TRF
"I do what I want to do and say what I want to say."
--Bronson Arroyo
if they passed on Beckham because of another SS his name would be Valaika and not Buchholz
The Reds passed on Beckham because he was a one-year wonder in college. At this time last year, no one had Gordon Beckham even on the map as a first-round pick. Add in the fact that the Reds aren't sold that he will definitely be a SS and I think they made the right decision not to take him. I probably would have preferred Crow or Smoak, but I have no problem with the Alonso pick. Some tout him as the best hitter in the draft, period.
I only have one problem with the Alonso pick.
Assume Adam Dunn is gone and Votto goes to left field. Our top three hitters for the future will be Jay Bruce, Yonder Alonso, and Joey Votto.
There is not a righthander one in that mix. That is why I would have preferred Smoak over Alonso.
The more I read about Beckham though makes me somewhat glad the Reds went elsewhere. He may be good, but he has only shown it this year. Alonso has a history of producing well and from other things I have seen shows great leadership.
I agree with you WVRed. I was surprised they went with a LHH given the fact that Dunn, Bruce and Votto are in the fold, and at least the latter two will be around for a while.
However, I like the Reds going after the best player available (in their opinion) and not drafting for need. No matter the sport (MLB, NFL, NBA) nothing will get you in trouble faster than drafting for need. There were better players on the board than Beckham. I just wonder if the Reds got the best player on the board. I like Alonso, but like you I think I would have preferred Smoak just for the fact that he's a switch hitter (and most people say he's just as good of a hitter as Alonso, and everyone says he's better defensively). I also would have liked Crow. But give me the choice between Alonso and Beckham and I would definitely take Alonso. The guy is a proven stud hitter, not a possible one-year wonder. And even after Beckham's strong performance in the Cape Cod league last year, Beckham was ranked as the 12th-best prospect in the league and Alonso was ranked as the 2nd-best prospect by Baseball America.
Reds have a good history of Cuban-born 1Bs.
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