(This post was written by occasional contributor Jeremy Powers.)
Two of the Reds’ top minor league prospects, Yonder Alonso and Devin Mesoraco, will be representing Cincinnati in the MLB Futures Game. The 2008 first-round pick, Alonso will represent the Reds on the World roster, while the 2007 first-round pick, Mesoraco, will be on the U.S. roster.
This is Alonso’s second consecutive futures game appearance. Now playing the majority of his starts in left field due to Joey Votto’s emergence as an MVP first baseman, Alonso is hitting .306/.371/.493 with nine homeruns and 45 RBI at AAA Louisville.
This is the first appearance in the Futures Game for the Louisville Bat catcher, Mesoraco. He is currently batting .320/.399/.536 with eight homeruns and 46 RBI. Projected to be starting behind the plate for the Redlegs soon, the Dubois, Pennsylvania native is showing that AAA Louisville is no great challenge, after he struggled in a brief stint there last year (he hit only .231 with three homeruns and 13 RBI in 14 games with AAA Louisville after dominating the lower levels).