Yonder Alonso Starts

Yonder Alonso made his first start as big leaguer.

Alonso has had 15 at-bats since his call-up, 13 as a pinch-hitter.

"I know my role," Alonso said. "It's pinch-hitting, or playing when Joey is out. I'm trying to do as much as I can."

Alonso says, despite the lack of playing time, it's been a good experience.

"This is the best league in the world," he said. "I've talked to all the guys about the game. Everybody gives me their advice. I've learned a lot about how to go about things, my routine."

Baker likes what he's seen of Alonso.

"He's aggressive," Baker said. "He's very confident. He's not up there to take (pitches). That's a good start. There's a few things that need to be corrected in time. I think he'll make the adjustment."

But Alonso is stuck behind Votto. The Reds tried him in the outfield at Triple-A but his lack of speed is a problem. He plans to work toward becoming more versatile in the offseason.

"I'm going to get in the best shape I can," he said. "They haven't talked to me about what is going to happen in the offseason. I'm going to take groundballs at first, third and take a lot flyballs in the outfield.

"Hopefully, I can come in and show them I can play wherever they need me to play."

Alonso is not planning to play winter ball so he can concentrate on working out.

"It's going to be good," he said. "I'm going to have four or five months to get ready. That's something I've never had."



(news.cincinnati.com)