Yonder Alonso

2013

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2012

At the plate, Alonso hit a robust .330/.398/.545 in 88 at-bats, fueled by a .387 BABIP. Alonso hasn't yet hit for the power many had hoped for from the 2008 first-round pick, but many believe that still could be coming. The Reds included him in a package sent to the Padres for Mat Latos in December, which finally removed Joey Votto as a roadblock to playing time at first base. Now that "lack of position" is no longer a part of his scouting report, Alonso is a nice sleeper after delivering a .943 OPS in limited duty as a 24-year-old for the Reds last season. The Padres traded Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs in January, so Alonso appears to be the favorite to start at first base come Opening Day.

2011

Alonso started slowly in 2010 while trying to recover from the broken hamate bone that slowed his 2009 season down. A strong second half left him with decent overall numbers, though not the monster power numbers the Reds were hoping for when they drafted him. The bigger problem for the Reds is that an attempt to move him to left field at Triple-A Louisville fizzled out, leaving him without a position at the major league level, with Joey Votto obviously not going anywhere. There's a good chance that his bat will eventually catch up to expectations, but the odds are it will be with another organization after Alonso gets dealt. Because of the position issue, Alonso will probably spend half the summer in Louisville again.

2010

Alonso is going to present a dilemma to the Reds in the future, because he can only handle first base (and marginally at that) defensively, and Joey Votto is firmly ensconced there. But that's not going to be an issue in 2010 - Alonso's bat, particularly his ability to hit for power, still needs work. A broken hamate bone suffered midseason while playing for Double-A Carolina slowed down his progress and cut back on Alonso's power once he returned. He hit well in the Arizona Fall League, but once again not for power. Look for him to spend most of 2010 at Triple-A Louisville.

2009

Alonso was the Reds' first-round pick out of the University of Miami and signed right at the deadline after a somewhat rancorous negotiation. He tore it up in the Hawaii Winter League (.308/.419/.510) and could begin 2009 as high as Double-A Carolina. Alonso's good power and plate discipline made it hard for the Reds to pass him up in the draft, despite their needs at other positions. Defensively, he can only really handle first base, meaning that by 2010 the Reds will have to figure out how to get both him and Joey Votto in the lineup.