Valaika #9 on this week's Prospect Hot Sheet

[OnBaseMachine]

No. 9 CHRIS VALAIKA, SS, REDS
Team: high Class A Sarasota (Florida State)
Age: 22
Why he's here: .500/.483/.893, 14-for-28, 7 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 2 SO
The Scoop: Valaika probably won't continue to play shortstop exlusively as he moves up, but it is quite evident that he'll make it to the major leagues because of his bat. He's been hitting all season (.388/.402/.612) and had a five-RBI game to his credit this week. The lack of walks may be a concern, but he was able to keep the whiffs down this week with just two. He was a 2006 third-round out of UC Santa Barbara, so don't be surprised if he makes a move to Double-A before the season is over, especially if the Reds want to move Todd Frazier along.

And a Homer Bailey mentioning:

IN THE TEAM PHOTO

Partial credit goes to Louisville RHP Homer Bailey (Reds), who struck out 10 Toledo batters Wednesday in a seven-inning gem. But he served up a home run in that start, and two others in his start last Friday, meaning his 1-1, 4.85 record over 13 innings doesn't quite warrant a higher ranking. The 21-year-old flamethrower struck out 16 over his two starts, though, while walking five and allowing 11 hits.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...08/266012.html

BA will answer questions beginning at 2:30.

[OnBaseMachine]

What the heck does Daryl Thompson have to do to make the Hot Sheet?

I ask BA the same question, hopefully they answer it. I also asking them when Jay Bruce would get called up, and two Juan Duran questions.

[Benihana]

What the heck does Daryl Thompson have to do to make the Hot Sheet?

I ask BA the same question, hopefully they answer it. I also asking them when Jay Bruce would get called up, and two Juan Duran questions.

Yeah his omission is ridiculous. And I hope Valaika would see Chattanooga before the end of the season. I'm hoping he sees it before the end of this month. Other thoughts I had:

Looks like we picked the wrong athletic college centerfielder: Julio Borbon is tearing up High Class A, despite being a year behind Drew Stubbs and having been drafted almost a full round later. Imagine Lincecum/Scherzer/Chamberlain and Borbon instead of Stubbs and Mesoraco. However, I'll stop there, as I'm not trying to turn this into another Stubbs lamentation.

Perhaps the emergence of Max Ramirez will finally allow Texas to trade Taylor Teagarden? Saltalamacchia has been promoted to the big club, and Ramirez continues to tear up AA. All the while Gerald Laird is still the starting catcher. Oh yeah, and Texas has zero pitching. Something has got to give. Matt Maloney and Juan Francisco for Taylor Teagarden. It will probably cost more than that, but let's get something going!

[OnBaseMachine]

One of my questions has been answered so far:

Q: Jay Bruce from Louisville asks:
How long before I'm called up to Cincinnati? The Reds need an offensive boost and Patterson is struggling.

A: Nathan Rode: A lot of people thought you should have been there to start with, myself included. It's not an outrage, though, given your age, but if you keep hitting the ball in AAA and the Reds want to contend, you'll force yourself into the lineup pretty quickly. Joey Votto has already done it. Why not you next?

[dougdirt]

I also asked about Daryl Thompson.... hopefully we get something.

[Jay Bruce]

Looks like we picked the wrong athletic college centerfielder: Julio Borbon is tearing up High Class A, despite being a year behind Drew Stubbs and having been drafted almost a full round later. Imagine Lincecum/Scherzer/Chamberlain and Borbon instead of Stubbs and Mesoraco. However, I'll stop there, as I'm not trying to turn this into another Stubbs lamentation.

Are you sure you're not mistaking Borbon for someone else? So far he has a 680 OPS, including a 322 OBP so far in the California League. That would be the opposite of tearing it up. In addition, he is never supposed to have any power potential, and he has never shown any propensity for taking a walk. Also, taking him would have been at the expense of either Mesoraco or Frazier. I would much rather have Stubbs than Borbon.

[Benihana]

Are you sure you're not mistaking Borbon for someone else? So far he has a 680 OPS, including a 322 OBP so far in the California League. That would be the opposite of tearing it up. In addition, he is never supposed to have any power potential, and he has never shown any propensity for taking a walk. Also, taking him would have been at the expense of either Mesoraco or Frazier. I would much rather have Stubbs than Borbon.

I misread his stats from last week as his stats for the year. Still, it's .100 pts higer in high-A ball than what Mesoraco OPSed in rooke ball. Not to mention, he is a speedy leadoff hitter, something the Reds desperately lack. And I'd much rather have Lincecum, Scherzer, or Chamberlain than Stubbs. But I think that is beating a dead horse at this point.

Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a fan of Julio Borbon. But any idiot would take Borbon and one of those pitchers over Mesoraco and Stubbs any day of the week.

[OnBaseMachine]

Two other Reds related questions:

Q: Tom from Cincinnati, OH asks:
How good of a prospect is Todd Frazier for the Reds?

A: Jim Shonerd: We like Frazier here, although it'll be interesting to see if the Reds will be able to find him a new defensive home. The only reason he's in Low A to begin with because there's no room for another shortstop on Sarasota. His bat is ready for more advanced competition.


Q: Jack from Dayton asks:
What is the ceiling for Chris Valaika? If not SS where will he end up?

A: Nathan Rode: He could probably play SS in the big leagues, just not every day. He would probably make the move to 2B where his bat would be his best weapon.

[camisadelgolf]

Q: Jack from Dayton asks:
What is the ceiling for Chris Valaika? If not SS where will he end up?

A: Nathan Rode: He could probably play SS in the big leagues, just not every day. He would probably make the move to 2B where his bat would be his best weapon.

I think Valaika should be the starting second baseman in AA while Drew M. Anderson finally ends up in his inevitable utility position.

[dougdirt]

I misread his stats from last week as his stats for the year. Still, it's .100 pts higer in high-A ball than what Mesoraco OPSed in rooke ball. Not to mention, he is a speedy leadoff hitter, something the Reds desperately lack. And I'd much rather have Lincecum, Scherzer, or Chamberlain than Stubbs. But I think that is beating a dead horse at this point.

Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a fan of Julio Borbon. But any idiot would take Borbon and one of those pitchers over Mesoraco and Stubbs any day of the week.

I really wonder how many other teams have similar things like this going on with their fans? I wish I had a penny for everytime someone would have rather had someone than anyone the Reds drafted. I would be a billionaire.

For the record, give me Stubbs or Mesoraco over Julio Borbon ten times a week. A 22 year old in the Cal League not OPSing .700? He has a weak LD% (7%) and hits the ball on the ground 64% of the time. Thats a bad hitter.

[Redman15]

I think Valaika should be the starting second baseman in AA while Drew M. Anderson finally ends up in his inevitable utility position.

I think Valaika should be starting at SS and Turner at 2nd and Stubbs in CF.
Castro is not exactly tearing it up and IMO Valaika is as good defensively. Thats
why the Reds still have him playing SS and have not moved him to 2nd.

[Superdude]

Not to mention, he is a speedy leadoff hitter, something the Reds desperately lack. Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a fan of Julio Borbon. But any idiot would take Borbon and one of those pitchers over Mesoraco and Stubbs any day of the week.

Borbon is not the speedy leadoff hitter we're looking for. He can't draw a walk and is basically just Corey Patterson with a little higher average and a lot less power. Unless you live in Dusty Baker's bath tub, I think you'd have a hard time finding someone who would take Borbon over Mesoraco.

[Benihana]

I agree that Borbon is not someone I would want. In fact, I publicly stated so several times leading up to and on draft day of last year. However, Mesoraco is not someone I would want either. And my point was mainly focusing on the pitching options that were available over Stubbs (not just Lincecum.) Regardless, like I said, it's beating a dead horse at this point. The only reason it was a topic of conversation this week was after the dazzling major league debut of yet another first round pick from that year's draft (Scherzer). Seeing another 2007 first rounder on the PHS just added fuel to the fire.

Don't get me wrong- I am/was a huge Wayne supporter. That said, the last two first round picks were simply awful selections.

[dougdirt]

I agree that Borbon is not someone I would want. In fact, I publicly stated so several times leading up to and on draft day of last year. However, Mesoraco is not someone I would want either. And my point was mainly focusing on the pitching options that were available over Stubbs (not just Lincecum.) Regardless, like I said, it's beating a dead horse at this point. The only reason it was a topic of conversation this week was after the dazzling major league debut of yet another first round pick from that year's draft (Scherzer). Seeing another 2007 first rounder on the PHS just added fuel to the fire.

Don't get me wrong- I am/was a huge Wayne supporter. That said, the last two first round picks were simply awful selections.

Let me know how awful they were in about 6 years, when we have a clue of how good/bad they actually were.

[camisadelgolf]

I think Valaika should be starting at SS and Turner at 2nd and Stubbs in CF.
Castro is not exactly tearing it up and IMO Valaika is as good defensively. Thats
why the Reds still have him playing SS and have not moved him to 2nd.

Actually, I like that idea almost as much. A lot of people are much higher on Juan Castro than I am. For the record, I like Castro and his style of play, but I don't consider him to be much of a prospect.