Get to Know: Yonder Alonso

The trade of Jonny Gomes to the Nationals has opened the way for Reds prospect Yonder Alonso to finally get his chance in Cincinnati. While he may split time in left field with Chris Heisey, and Fred Lewis could steal at-bats, too, Alonso should get the bulk of the playing time in the near term.

Blocked by Joey Votto at his natural position of first base, Alonso was converted to the outfield this year. While he won't ever be more than an adequate fielder, his bat should keep him in the lineup. Alonso's greatest strength is superb plate discipline, which has allowed him to hit for a high average at every stop in the minors. He also uses the whole field and has done a good job of making adjustments against lefthanded pitching, posting a .313 average against lefties at Class AAA this year.

A hamate injury in 2009 sapped his strength but Alonso seems fully recovered and was on pace to hit 20-plus home runs at Class AAA Louisville this season. His power was on full display in batting practice at the Futures Game, where World team manager and former Diamondback Luis Gonzalez gushed over the rookie's ability to drive the ball out of any part of the ballpark. When I spoke with Alonso afterward, he told me that it "took about a year to get my power back and start to feel good" after the injury.

While Alonso will have to produce right away to guarantee himself big-league playing time this season, long-term he's clearly the Reds' future left fielder, and possibly an eventual replacement for Votto at first base. His combination of patience, pure hitting skills, and decent power potential should allow him to post an eventual stat line of .300-20-90 at the major league level. I don't ever see him reaching 30 home runs and he won't steal any bases, but he should be a solid big-leaguer for years to come.


(sportingnews.com)