Yonder Alonso

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #3 prospect in 2012
  An emigree from Cuba, where his father Luis played for the Havana Industriales, Alonso established himself as one of college baseball's best hitters while at Miami. The seventh overall pick in the 2008 draft, he received the most lucrative draft deal in franchise history, a $4.55 million big league contract that included a $2 million bonus. His climb to the majors was slower than the Reds expected, but that's largely because he's blocked by 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto. Alonso is an above-average hitter with a good sense of the strike zone and the ability to hit to all fields. Cincinnati always has believed that he has plus power, which he showed in his limited big league trial in the second half of 2011. While hitting comes easy for Alonso, defense has been an issue. He's adequate at first base, which is really his only viable option. He has some arm strength, but his well below-average speed doesn't play well in left field and he lacks the agility for third base. After hitting .330/.398/.545 in 88 big league at-bats, Alonso is ready for regular playing time with the Reds. They need to find a spot for him to play, either via a trade or by enduring his defensive deficiencies in left field.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #4 prospect in 2011
  The seventh overall pick in the 2008 draft, Alonso proved to be much more difficult to sign then expected, holding out until the Aug. 15 deadline for a $4.55 million major league contract. His bat has been as good as advertised, though he slumped early in 2010 while getting over his disappointment of starting the season at Double-A Carolina. He responded to a Triple-A promotion by hitting .335/.415/.561 in the second half to earn his first big league callup. Alonso's approach impresses scouts. He uses the entire field and has a good feel for the strike zone. He struggled early last season when fed a steady diet of offspeed pitches away, but he adapted. He also made good adjustments against lefthanders. He shows the potential to hit for average with plus power and on-base ability. With National League MVP Joey Votto at first base in the majors, Cincinnati has tried and failed to find Alonso another position. A spring-training trial at third base quickly proved futile, and his well below-average speed makes him a liability in left field. He's adequate at first base and has some arm strength. If Votto gets hurt, Alonso is ready to step in and play first base. Otherwise, he doesn't have a spot in Cincinnati. He'll head back to Triple-A for a second time to start the 2011 season.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #2 prospect in 2010
  With the No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 draft, the Reds narrowed their choices to Alonso and Gordon Beckham. They chose Alonso in part because they considered him easier to sign, then watched Beckham sign more quickly for less money. While Beckham reached the big leagues in 2009, Alonso was slowed by a broken hamate bone. Alonso is the purest hitter in the system and has above-average power. He has a good understanding of the strike zone, working counts in his favor to get a pitch he wants. He has a balanced swing that allows him to drive the ball to all fields. Alonso has struggled to hit lefthanders in college and pro ball. Some scouts think he should be more aggressive, as he sometimes lays off pitches he could drive. His well-below-average speed (35 on the 20-80 scouting scale) limits him to first base. Cincinnati has toyed with playing him at third base, but his limited range would be a liability. The hamate injury sapped Alonso's power and slowed down his timetable, postponing a difficult decision. He plays the same position as Joey Votto, the Reds' best big league hitter, and Cincinnati will either have to move Votto to left field or trade one of them. Alonso likely will spend all or most of 2010 in the minors, but his bat could hasten his path.
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #1 prospect in 2009
  Alonso's father Luis played and coached for the Havana Industriales of Cuba's Serie Nacional. When Luis brought his family to the United States in 1995, it was baseball that helped Alonso learn English as he played in pickup games with friends around the neighborhood. He established himself as a prospect as a four-year starter at Coral Gables (Fla.) High, the same school that produced Mike Lowell. A 16th-round pick of the Twins out of high school, Alonso opted to head to Miami instead. He showed his ability to hit with wood bats by batting .338 with a .468 on-base percentage in the Cape Cod League in 2007. He followed up by finishing second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in homers (24), slugging percentage (.777) and OPS (1.311) as a junior, trailing only College Player of the Year Buster Posey. The Reds drafted Alonso seventh overall in June and the negotiations went down to the wire. He wanted a $7 million bonus, and friend Alex Rodriguez offered to let him stay in A-Rod's New York apartment while playing independent ball to prepare for the 2009 draft. In the end, Alonso agreed to a five-year, $4.55 million big league contact that included a $2 million bonus. He made a brief cameo in the high Class A Florida State League before heading to Hawaii Winter Baseball for his first extensive pro experience. He batted .308/.419/.510 with the Waikiki Beach Boys to earn HWB all-star honors. Alonso is the rare hitter who has both plus power and the swing and pitch awareness to hit for a high average as well. He has good balance and a loose, short stroke that allows him to drive the ball to all fields. His best power is to the alleys, which fits perfectly with Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark. Unlike most sluggers, Alonso is allergic to strikeouts. He drew 172 walks while fanning just 103 times in his college career. The Reds also are excited by his workaholic makeup. Offensively, Alonso has yet to prove that he can recognize and hit a quality breaking ball, though Cincinnati thinks he'll be able to do just that. The bigger question is how the Reds eventually will fit him and Joey Votto into the same lineup. They had flirted with the idea of letting Alonso play some third base, his high school position, but they have decided to leave him at first. He's a below-average athlete runner whose range lack of range would have made him a liability at the hot corner. He's no Gold Glover at first base either, though his soft hands and adequate arm should allow him to develop into at least an average defender. Though Cincinnati already had Votto, Alonso's polished bat was too good to pass up. He was one of the most big league-ready hitters in the 2008 draft and could start 2009 at the Reds' new Double-A Carolina affiliate. Because he's already on the 40-man roster, it's not inconceivable that he'll play in the majors by September. He could battle for an everyday job in Cincinnati in 2010, with Votto possibly moving to left field.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked International League #13 prospect in 2011
  No, that's not an error in his stat line. Alonso really did exactly match the .296-12-56 triple-crown numbers he posted at Louisville in 2010. He also hit .330/.398/.545 in 88 at-bats in Cincinnati, where he found playing time scarce because he's trapped behind Joey Votto at first base. Alonso is ready to hit in the big leagues, handling lefties and righties equally well while lining drives from gap to gap with a pure swing. He has a keen eye at the plate and a willingness to hit the ball where it's pitched. He also has solid power to left-center field as well as the ability to pull the ball. "He can hit," Knorr said. "He just knows what he wants to do. There aren't many times you've got him fooled." Alonso fits best defensively at first base, where he's adequate to average with the glove, but spent most of his IL time in left field. His range is limited by his well below-average speed, but his jumps and routes are OK and his arm is average.
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  Ranked International League #12 prospect in 2010
  Alonso started slowly at Louisville after arriving in mid-May, but he adjusted and batted .332 with nine of his 12 homers in the final two months. He displayed good power to all fields with a short stroke, good hand-eye coordination and excellent strength. After struggling against lefthanders in the lower minors, he batted .269/.318/.429 against them in the IL. "When he swings the bat, he puts the ball in play more than most players, so he needs to be careful when he swings the bat to get a good pitch to hit," Sweet said. "On tough pitches, most guys would foul the pitch off or swing and miss. Yonder puts it in play." An average defender at first base, Alonso is blocked there by Joey Votto in Cincinnati. He played 17 games in left field for Louisville, but his lack of speed severely limits his range. He's not athletic enough to give third base a try.
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  Ranked Florida State League #4 prospect in 2009
  Alonso may have entered 2009 with just 19 pro at-bats to his credit, but he showed the approach of a veteran. He has a strong knowledge of the strike zone, works counts and drives the ball with power to all fields. He understands his swing more than most Class A hitters. "He has a good eye as a hitter," Palm Beach manager Tom Spencer said. "He reminds me of Will Clark. He has good power to all fields and his strike-zone discipline is good." Alonso should hit for power and average, and he'll have to. He lacks speed and agility, so he's limited to first base, where he's an adequate defender.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #33 prospect in 2012
• Ranked Baseball America's #73 prospect in 2011
• Ranked Baseball America's #45 prospect in 2010
• Ranked Baseball America's #35 prospect in 2009

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: An emigree from Cuba, where his father Luis played for the Havana Industriales, Alonso established himself as one of college baseball's best hitters while at Miami. The seventh overall pick in the 2008 draft, he received the most lucrative draft deal in franchise history, a $4.55 million big league contract that included a $2 million bonus. His climb to the majors was slower than the Reds expected, but that's largely because he's blocked by 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto. Scouting Report: Alonso is an above-average hitter with a good sense of the strike zone and the ability to hit to all fields. Cincinnati always has believed that he has plus power, which he showed in his limited big league trial in the second half of 2011. While hitting comes easy for Alonso, defense has been an issue. He's adequate at first base, which is really his only viable option. He has some arm strength, but his well below-average speed doesn't play well in left field and he has looked overmatched at third base. The Future: After hitting .330/.398/.545 in 88 big league at-bats, Alonso is ready for regular playing time with the Reds. They need to find a spot for him to play, either via a trade or by enduring his defensive deficiencies in left field.