All he needs is a sister named Heather. Heather and Yon(der).

I’m not sure what to make of Alonso. The scouting reports on his hitting are great, and he sounds like the type who could post a high on-base percentage.

But he is consistently ranked below Justin Smoak as a prospect. Alonso gets dinged for being less athletic, less of a fielder and for having a touch less raw power. Baseball Prospectus also mentioned a concern about whether Alonso will hit lefties.

But if you add it all up, the main thing you want out of a first baseman is a bat, and Alonso seems solid in that department. A great OBP could make up for a lot of the little shortcomings.

There are enough minor questions about him, though, that I’d rank him below the first four guys profiled here.

And it stings

Alonso is a good prospect & an ok choice, but i’m not as keen on him as some others that may be available. The lack of athleticism/defence is an issue, but not a great one for me, i want my firstbaseman to hit primarily. More of the concern is over the power & how much he’ll have in the long run. A 1B with decent power & a great OBP is very valuable still, but if you don’t feel he’s going to have very good power, it makes you wonder whether it’s better to go for someone with decent power at a more premium position (Like Posey or G. Beckham)

All in all, i wouldn’t be too upset if we chose him, but i think he’s a notch below Alvarez & Smoak.

I’m throwing down a nickname right now. “Mountain String.”

You’re killing me Larry. You bring up the U’s strength of schedule is 62nd however fail to mention that South Carolina’s strength of schedule is 66th! The good thing about the U schedule is that they played most of their patsies earlier in the season and Yonder Alonso didn’t begin his HR mashing until he got into the later ACC schedule.

With Alonso being described as a “professiona hitter” and a “run producer”, he had me at hello. He power is to CF and LCF which should play well at Mays Field. He did very well in the Cape Cod wooden bat league which SF organization puts a very high emphasis. He is a much better athlete than he has been previously given credit. Last season he stole 13 bases and this season has stolen 8. This is noteworthy not for his ability to steal bases in MLs but that he is a decent baserunner and will not clog up the bases. He has improved dramatically defensively.

Prior to this season he was not the best in shape athlete but has dedicated himself to a better workout regime and joined ARod in workouts over the winter. This friendship has both inspired and improved Alonso the baseball player.

While Alonso does not have the raw power that Smoak possess he has improved hit HR totals each season at the U. As a freshman Alonso hit 10 HRs, sophomore he hit 18 HRs and this his junior season he has hit almost as many as any collegian baseball player – 22 HRs.

Get the impression that Alonso is to the 2008 draft what LaPorta was to the 2007 draft.

we’re called Smoakers

It’s all about Garfield Says a Mouthful.

So, I’m thinking Snow might be a good comparison to Alonso, hitting wise. Which isn’t terrible. I really think Jack gets short thrift around here because of his loss of power upon his move here. That really wasn’t his fault.

The only problem I had with J.T. was his injury problems. And his slowness (stupid 2003).

Let’s start the Verbification Revolution! Hey, you guys want to go yonder alonso some pizza? Don’t open the door, I’m yonder alonsoing in here!

This is the wave of the future.

Someone needs to print up the shirts. As a former S.F. resident I would buy one.

Second. Everyone needs to get to work on that Wiki Ortmeier page. He doesn’t even have a photo up!

Thanks for having me.

-Go Cubs Go.

destroys Godfather II. The way Godfather II is split up makes it feel like you are get two half movies, which combined just aren’t as good as the original.

Based on that link, the strength of schedule isn’t very different for the various 1B prospects: Vanderbilt (Alvarez) is #71, South Carolina (Smoak) is #66. Among the non-1B possibilities, Buster Posey’s FSU is #68; only Georgia (Beckham) is significantly higher at #37.

I was thinking I have such bad, bad memories of Alfonso that I would forever be reminded of him when the announcers speak of Alonso. So I was going to say take Smoak just so I can enjoy my baseball in peace.

Then you go and mistakenly say “Alfonso’s swing…”

aaaauuuuggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An interesting point that is usually made against Alonso is that his power is almost exclusively to the opposite field and center field. Again, this gets a Giants-specific chuckle, as we have had to deal with the quasi-promise of Pedro Feliz over the past seven years. Alonso is a hitter who starts with an opposite-field approach while trying to figure out how to pull for power? We’ll take our chances, thank you.

Opposite field-exclusive power does not equal an opposite feel approach. While it’s still power, it can be more indicative of a kid getting overpowered by college fastballs, as that sort of direction with deep hits are more often than not because of how late he is on a swing. IMO, an advanced hitter pulls for power, and uses the opposite field on pitches to let the ball get out and then down thanks to backspin on the ball, using the motion on a pitch that is away (or falling away) to get the ball out of the infield. It could also indicate a hitch in a swing that causes said lateness.

I’d prefer a hitter who most often squares up on the ball in college. That’s a sign of a hitter with excellent timing and hand-eye coordination. Pulling and pushing hits can come later.

Piazza, even in his prime, hit plenty of hits and HRs to opposite field. Will Clark too. And Tony Gwynn, but mainly for singles and doubles. So it can be a strategy, and it can work for a real strong guy with a real good ability to make solid contact. But at the college level? I agree, Yonder should be seeing those pitches and pulling them.

and it’s not a good one. Now reading Alonso wants over slot money – he is a collegiate junior so he does have options.