he liked to pull his hands in and stay inside the ball on fastballs on the inner half ... you can generate some power and do that with a metal bat but you end up Sean Casey if you try to do that with wood.Quote:
Originally Posted by redhawk61
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he liked to pull his hands in and stay inside the ball on fastballs on the inner half ... you can generate some power and do that with a metal bat but you end up Sean Casey if you try to do that with wood.Quote:
Originally Posted by redhawk61
Yonder put up very good numbers with a wood bat in the cape cod league. His swing translate very well to wood
for a good average, he wants to put up 30+ HR power numbers he will have to turn on inside fastballs.Quote:
Originally Posted by redhawk61
Alonso is a good prospect but he is no lock to be a star.
Forget about $2-3 million for a 16 year old. How about $7MM for Stanton? $3MM for Patterson? $14MM for Gonzalez?Quote:
Originally Posted by Falls City Beer
I'll take young expensive talent over Mike Stanton anyday.
I dont think losing out on one player will set our entire organization back another year. However, with these other players getting money way over slot I'd be willing to go up to around 6 million to sign Alonso.Quote:
Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine
kinda hoping the days of being stupid are over. Although if it going to take 5M+ to sign Alonso I would say there was a lack of due diligence before the draft.Quote:
Originally Posted by edabbs44
Laporta signed for a little over 2M in the 7 slot the year before and he was on the same level of a prospect as Alonso
yeah, but it's clear that the upper first round of the draft has become a batleground between agents and MLB -- wasn't the case in 2007 -- will be interesting to see if any teams hold the line and scoop up their top ten compensatory pick in 09Quote:
Laporta signed for a little over 2M in the 7 slot the year before and he was on the same level of a prospect as Alonso
The Reds want a minor league contract; Alonso wants a major league one. Unless they manage to agree on this, Alonso will not be signed.
I saw on Rotoworld where Posey was supposedly going to sign for a 7.5M major league deal(down from the 12M he supposedly was asking for).Quote:
Originally Posted by lollipopcurve
it's going to come down to the $$$.Quote:
Originally Posted by AmarilloRed
After looking at the JD Drew situation, it occurred to me that maybe this figure Alonso is alleged to be asking could be structured the way Drew's was. Drafted second by Philly in 1997, he was reported to be asking for a $10M bonus, Philly offered $4M. He played independent ball that season and was drafted in the 5th round by the Cards the next year.
Ultimately, he signed a contract with a $3M signing bonus, and four years of salary at $3.875M with the possibility of $1.625 in bonuses. Ultimately, the deal went for $7M for those four years. He signed on 7/3/98 and was called up in September.
If Alonso is looking for a deal that spreads the money out over a long deal, then I would be okay with that. Keep in mind, Walt Jocketty was the GM in St. Louis when the Drew deal got done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by redsmetz
Wasn't Drew considered the best prospect in all of the draft?
Punting a draft pick over money will not make big Bob look good as he tries to get the fan base on board.
from fay:
Reds scouting director admitted that the club and top pick Yonder Alonso are still far apart.
"There's not too much to report," Buckley said. "We're trying."
Based on what Alonso said yesterday, I think the Reds at the very minimum have to offer him a big league contract to get a deal done.
Would they consider that?
"I'm not sure," Buckley said. "We're talking about about it. Our preference would be a minor league deal."
Buckley and GM Walt Jocketty have been working on the deal. Someone of Alonso's side of things told me yesterday, there had been very little back and forth.
While I think it will take a big league deal to get Alonso signed, don't read that as I'm advocating that the Reds do that. They may have made a mistake by taking him -- given his demands -- but giving him a big league deal for the kind of money he wants would compound the mistake.
Now for the goofy thought: Could the Reds be considering making Micah Owings a hitter? He'd hit in the majors if he player every day. The Diamondbacks considered playing him at first base on days he wasn't pitching. He hits right-handed. Things worked out for Jocketty when he allowed Rick Ankiel to move from pitcher to outfielder.
He hit .333 last year with seven doubles, a triple and four home runs in 60 at-bats. His numbers as a hitter for Georgia Tech as junior -- 63 RBI, .472 on-base percentage ranked -- with Alonso's at Miami.
In 1997, he clearly was the best and was taken #2 behind Matt Anderson (DET). In 1998, as I recall, many clubs were leery of taking him because of the fracas the year before, but I had thought the Reds might take him with their #7 pick, but St. Louis plucked him up at #5. I thought Bowden could get creative with Boras.Quote:
Originally Posted by bucksfan2
Interestingly, five of the players taken in the first round in 1998 have played for the Reds: Kearns, Lopez, Etherton, the unforgettable Jeff Austin and Corey Patterson. A sixth, Bubba Crosby, played with Louisville a bit last year.
How could you forget Jeff Austin's tenure with the Reds?Quote:
Originally Posted by redsmetz
alonso is nowhere near the prospect that Drew was.Quote:
Originally Posted by redsmetz
Yes, you're correct. I'll correct my post.Quote:
Originally Posted by LoganBuck
I'm not suggesting he is. I'm looking at the hold out situation and wondering whether we can craft a similar agreement with this draft pick. As my reference to players drafted around J.D. Drew, drafting players can be a considerable crapshoot.Quote:
Originally Posted by flyer85
This is not true. He's not as polished, maybe, but their ceilings are very similar.Quote:
Originally Posted by flyer85
Alonso doesn't have the speed or defensive ability of Drew, but at the plate they are very comparable.
Drew was a true "5-tool player" who played a premium defensive position. He was extremely fast and had a cannon for an arm. Alonso is regarded as a average to below defensive 1b and is slow. His offensive potential may be similar but as an overall player he is not anywhere near the prospect that Drew was. JD has not turned out to be nearly as good as everyone thought he was going to be. He has been good but he was a Josh Hamilton type prospect ... he had it all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Falls City Beer
As hitters.Quote:
Originally Posted by Falls City Beer
That is a key point. Drew was also a plus defensive outfielder with speed.
Honestly, that's all I care about. He's a 1B.Quote:
Originally Posted by LoganBuck
which makes him a lot less valuable than a CF who is a similar hitter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Falls City Beer
But that is a huge difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by Falls City Beer
It is much harder to get a CF that rakes than a 1b.
I want the bat as well. I would pay more for that bat if it played a premium defensive postion.
it's why Posey will get his money and Alonso, Smoak and Hosmer will not get anything close.Quote:
Originally Posted by puca
I didn't follow baseball to the extent I do now back then. I remember Drew getting a ton of press about his talent as well as his demands. Back then he had it all: speed, defense, power, average, and a cannon for an arm. I thought people were talking about JD Drew as a once in a decade type talent.Quote:
Originally Posted by redsmetz
Fast forward to Alonso. What does he have to be making such demands? He is a mature hitter but people question how well his power will adjust to the major leauges. He isn't fast, plays adequate defense at first, and doesn't have the flexibility to play elsewhere. I think the Reds would be foolish to pay him anything over 4M to sign.
Here is what I don't get. How much higher could he possibly go? He isn't a pitcher, doesn't play SS, CF, or C. He doesn't have the athleticism that will project him into a 5 tool player. He basically is a good average hitting first baseman. Either I am not understanding something here or he is getting some bad advice, but I don't see how Alonso can demand as much money as he is.
I think Bubba made it into a REDS uniform before being DFA'd.Quote:
Originally Posted by redsmetz
I thought so too, but baseball-reference is not showing him with any playing time with the team; but maybe he was called up and didnt get in a game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nugget
Giants sign pick #5 Buster Posey.
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extraba...ts-a-physical/
Posey on the cusp of getting $7.5 million; Crawford signs, too
Posted by Andrew Baggarly on August 13th, 2008 at 8:01 pm | Categorized as Uncategorized
According to industry sources, No.5 overall pick Buster Posey is a done deal. It’s expected to be a major league contract in the neighborhood of $7.5 million. That shatters the biggest amateur bonus in franchise history — by nearly $5 million.
We knew Posey was going to get at least $6 million, which is what Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters got in the same slot last year. Posey’s bonus is more than the $6.15 million that Tampa Bay gave to the first overall pick, high school shortstop Tim Beckham. It might be the biggest deal that any draft pick signs this year.
The Giants refuse to confirm, though Brian Sabean told me that progress had been made and they might not be forced to sweat to the last hour of Friday’s deadline. I originally heard that Posey just needed to pass a physical, but now I’m told he already had one last week in Scottsdale.
Also, third-rounder Roger Kieschnick got $525,000, which is $40,000 over slot value. And while it hasn’t been announced, their fourth-round pick, UCLA shortstop Brandon Crawford, has signed for $375,000 — $92,000 over slot. Bruins officials were told he’s not coming back next season.
So yes, the Giants be a’spending.
Is Roger related to Brooks?
No mention of it on his player profile at Texas Tech , but with the odd last name you'd think there is a connection somewhere.
So the Reds aren't sure if they want to give him a major league contract but they don't care to waste roster spots on Bako, Valentin, Majewski, Fogg, Andy Phillips, Hopper, and others? Sheesh.
Yeah, they are cousins.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoosier Red
Look what the Reds have paid Todd Coffey to pitch for Louisville the last 2 seasons . The key is even if Yonder Alonso doesn't figure into the Reds future, based on potential he could be a very valuable trading chip in a year or so.
If he's signed I'd not be surprised to see him playing in Cincy by next July.
Yeah, and does Drew get invited to slumber parties at ARod's?Quote:
Alonso doesn't have the speed or defensive ability of Drew, but at the plate they are very comparable.
That's not really the principle at stake here. Giving a draftee a major-league contract effectively cuts in half the time you have for him to develop before you have to make the "fish or cut bait" decision. In theory, a draftee such as Alonso shouldn't need more than the three option years to get up and stick, but injuries do happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine
Having said that, I would give him the major-league contract if that ends up being the sticking point. I think the money is the bigger issue from what everyone's saying.
If the spot on the 40 man is the big hangup (and he'll sign for around slot or slightly above), I'd say go ahead and give it to him. I'm not a big fan of doing that, but I would.
I agree with those who have stated that he doesn't play a premium position nor is he a great defender and there for, should not be given sick money.
The big leverage that Alonso has is that the Reds are in rebuild mode and Cast claims to be serious about wanting to win soon. Seriously, what kind of leverage will Alonso have next year? Even if he went to Miami or played for another league, he has zero financial leverage next year. Whoever takes him can pretty much pay him slot money. He may not even go as high next year. What will he do then? Sit out another year?
This 40-man is so talent-thin that it'd be a crime to haggle over the spot.