CBS Sports Evan Brunell has come out with his Top 100 Prospects list. The Reds had five prospects make the list. Here is how they ranked:
- #9 Aroldis Chapman
- #41 Devin Mesoraco
- #55 Billy Hamilton
- #57 Yonder Alonso
- #83 Yasmani Grandal
I still am shocked that not one national ranking has Yorman Rodriguez inside its Top 100. He made all of Baseball America’s Top 150‘s and peaked at #92 on someone’s ballot. Todd Frazier, Zack Cozart and Yasmani Grandal also got votes in at least one Top 150.
Speaking of Yasmani Grandal, Mark Sheldon has an article up over on Reds.com about his first spring training.
Grandal believes as he becomes more entrenched with the organization that his ability to take charge and call games will surface more often.
“I’ve always liked that role,” he said. “I’m looking forward to taking on that role. I’m definitely a leader. I don’t like following.”
Tom Nichols has up the first part of an eight part series looking at the Dayton Dragons different positions and how they may play out during the year. The first part is on the catchers, where he says Tucker Barnhart is penciled in as the starting catcher.
Barnhart stayed above the .300 mark for virtually all of the 2010 season. He is a switch-hitter, a very valuable quality for a catcher. He has not yet shown any power with no career home runs in pro ball (159 at-bats), though he did hit more than 30 home runs as a four-year starter in high school. Defensively, Barnhart threw out an outstanding 51 percent of attempted base stealers in 2010, a number that would have easily led the Pioneer League if he had not finished three games short of the minimum to qualify. He did lead all P.L. catchers in assists.
These series are awesome and I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
Here is how the prospects performed in yesterdays win over the White Sox:
- Ronald Torreyes went 0-1.
- Andrew Means went 0-1.
- Michael Griffin went 0-1.
- Juan Francisco went 1-3 with an RBI, run and a double.
- Junior Arias went 0-1.
- Felix Perez went 0-1.
- Devin Mesoraco went 1-2 with a solo HR.
- Zack Cozart went 0-1 with a walk.
- Miguel Rojas went 0-2.
- Todd Frazier went 0-2.
- Danny Dorn went 0-1 with a walk.
- Chris Valaika went 1-2.
- Kris Negron went 1-2 with an RBI.
- Daryl Thompson threw 2.1 innings without an earned run, a walk and 2 strikeouts.
The home run that Devin Mesoraco hit was apparently an absolute blast according to Mark Sheldon.