2009 Top Prospect List: #16 Alex Buchholz, 2b

Alex Buchholz
Height 6-0, Weight 185, B/T: R/R, DOB: 09/30/1987
2008 Redlegs Baseball Prospect Ranking: Not Ranked

Alex Buchholz seems to continue the Reds trend of drafting players who have the baseball IQ and work ethic to make their tools play up a notch. It seems to be the exact opposite of the Jim Bowden school of thought, which permeated the organization until just recently. Jimbo collected toolsy outfielders who never performed up to their tools. The new Reds draft philosophy focuses on players who overachieve, rather than those who may have higher ceilings, but are unlikely to ever reach them.

COLLEGIATE CAREER AND DRAFT SLOT

The Reds selected Buchholz with #179th overall pick in the 2008 draft. Buchholz attended the University of Delaware, where he was an offense first type player. During his three years at Deleware, he posted slash lines of the following:

2006: .378/.433/.721/1.154
2007: .387/.433/.689/1.122
2008: .319/.401/.515/.916

Oddly enough, his performance got progressively worse from the high-water mark of his freshman year. Even so, his production as a junior was still impressive. And, he demonstrated an advanced approach at plate, as evidenced by his slash line of .364/.441/.527 with runners in scoring position.

At Delaware, Buchholz spent time at second base, third base, shortstop, and even did some pitching. His versatility is intriguing, but could also be a sign that his glove just doesn't profile well at any one position. That said, he made a concerted effort to improve his defensive skills in college to avoid the "offense only" label and also has the work ethic to improve. Not to mention, his willingness to move around the diamond demonstrated his selflessness and desire to put what's best for the team first. Delaware head coach Jim Sherman compared Buchholz to Jeff Kent, which is lofty praise indeed, though Buchholz has a long way to go to justify that comparison.

In 2008, Buchholz started 41 games, missing time after suffering a leg injury late in the year. Despite the injury, he had 14 multiple hit games and at least 2 RBI in nine contests. On his career, he has a .366 batting average (14th best in school history), 34 homeruns (8th in school history), and 161 RBI (10th in school history).

At the plate, Buchholz hits from an upright stance and can drive the ball to all fields. He does a pretty good job of controlling the strikezone, but he could stand to improve his plate discipline, as his walk rate needs improvement. He handles both lefties and righties well, so he doesn't suffer from much of a platoon split.

PROFESSIONAL DEBUT

The Reds sent Buchholz to the Rookie Pioneer League to begin his professional career. Buchholz didn't take long to "announce his presence with authority." He posted a slash line of .396/.471/.604/1.075 with 3 homeruns and a 25/16 K/BB ratio in 134 ABs.

Continuing the trend from his college performance, Buchholz actually performed better with runners in scoring position, which is an attribute currently lacking from the MLB Reds. For Billings, he hit .415/.520/.780/1.300 with runners in scoring position. While, admittedly, it is a small sample size, it does seem to be more evidence of the effectivenss of his polished approach at the plate.

Unfortunately, Billings was the one and only professional stop for Buchholz in 2008, as he was hit on the hand by a pitch. He suffered a "boxer's break" when he fractured a bone in his hand, which put an end to a promising rookie season.

CONCLUSION

While injury shortened his season, Buchholz had a fantastic debut for the Reds. Buchholz adds both needed middle infield depth and a potential impact bat to the farm system. That said, he'll need to show more with the glove to climb up the rankings. His bat plays well at second, but if he doesn't have the defensive ability to stay there, then his prospect status takes a significant hit. Fortunately, Buchholz has the type of work ethic and baseball smarts to continue to improve as he climbs the ladder.

For now, Buchholz checks in at #16 on the list. He could climb up the list in the future, as he does have some projection in him, but he could also slide down the list if he doesn't prove capable with the glove. For now, the professional sample size is just too small to say which direction he'll head.

Alex Buchholz Suffers a Broken Wrist

Reds sixth round draft pick Alex Buchholz was off to a white hot start in rookie ball with the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League. Buchholz, a middle infielder from the University of Delaware, has posted a stellar line of .366/.453/.610/1.062 with an 18/11 K/BB ratio.

Buchholz's bat is his calling card, while his glove lags a bit behind. Still, the former Blue Hen has been fantastic thus far and it's disappointing to see him suffer the injury. Even so, it won't hinder his development in any appreciable way.

Mike Scherting reports the following on Buchholz:

2B Alex Buchholz is out three to four weeks after getting hit in the left hand during Friday night’s 14-7 win over the Ogden Raptors. Buchholz was told he fractured a bone in his hand — “a boxer’s break” — he said and he’ll have another evluation Monday before the Reds decide if he should stay here in Billings or go to Sarasota, Fla., for his rehab.

As for Buchholz, the 6th-round pick from the University of Delaware said this is the first time he’d received a significant injury in his playing career. “This is going to be the longest three to four weeks of my life,” he said.

Buchholz was third in the Pioneer League in batting (.366) and he was tied for the team high in RBIs with Tony Brown at 20. The injury means Jose Gualdron will see more time at second base.

“Unfortunately, that’s part of the business,” Garcia said of the injuries. “It always seems to happen to good guys or guys having good years, and that’s both case. Kyle’s isn’t as (serious) and hopefully he’ll be back in a couple days. Alex will be gone for a while.”

Checking up on the Day 1 Draft Picks

The Reds have had time to sign and assign several of their first day draft picks, some of whom have made impressive debuts. All teams have until August 15th to sign their draft picks, after which time unsigned players go back into the draft pool for the 2009 draft.

Pick #7 Yonder Alonso

Yonder has yet to sign, as his team's time in Omaha at the College World Series has delayed the signing process. However, thanks to my Stanford Cardinal, Yonder and the Miami Hurricanes were bounced fairly early from the tournament, so contract negotiations should be well under way. Still, sometimes high first round draft picks don't sign until the other high picks starting signing to set the market. It creates a kind of domino effect, but the Rays signing #1 overall pick Tim Beckham for a reported signing bonus of $6.5M should help speed the process along.

Professional Debut Grade: Incomplete


Pick #84 Zach Stewart

The Reds signed Stewart to his first professional contract and assigned him to low-A Dayton. Despite vaulting over the rookie leagues entirely, Stewart has posted very good numbers in the early going. In 6.0 innings for Dayton, Stewart has allowed 1 hit and 0 runs. In addition, he boasts a 3/0 K/BB ratio and a 2.75 GB/FB ratio, which is what Reds fans want to see.

Stewart was a closer out of Texas Tech, so his polish was part of what got him drafted. Still, if he can have early success at Dayton, then he could possibly move very quickly up the ranks. He throws a heavy ball and hopefully he can continue to rack up the groundball outs.

So far, so good.

Professional Debut Grade: A


Pick #119 Tyler Cline

The Reds have signed Tyler Cline to a professional deal and assigned him to the rookie league Golf Coast League Reds, where he will play under manager Pat Kelly.

He's a big kid at 6'2" and 215 lbs. He works with a low 90s fastball, a slurvy curveball, and a decent changeup.

Given his build and age, I would say that this is a pure projection pick by the Reds. Cline has the build of a power pitcher and reads are probably dreaming on what he could become. Cline wasn't well known heading into this draft, so it'll be interesting to see what he brings to the table.

Professional Debut Grade: Incomplete


Pick #149 Clayton Shunick

Shunick is under contract and was sent to rookie league Billings, where he is pitching for the Mustangs. Shunick seems the opposite of Cline, as he is a pitcher who is fairly polished, but seemingly lacking much projection. His mechanics are rather unorthodox and could become problematic as he advances up the ranks.

At Billings, Shunick has had a bit of a rough start. In 8.0 innings, Shunick has given up 12 hits, posted a 7/2 K/BB ratio, a 6.75 ERA, and a 1.75 WHIP. Given that he's only given up 2 walks and 1 homer, it seems likely that his numbers will improve in a hurry. Nothing to worry about at this point, but given his polish and the level of competition, it's far from an ideal debut.

Professional Debut Grade: C-


Pick #179 Alexander Buchholz

Now, here is a guy to watch. I've got a fairly good feeling about Alex and think he could be an interesting prospect. He strikes me as a Chris Valaika type. A good hitter who may lack the glove to handle shortstop. Still, a middle infielder who can rake is worth his weigh in gold. And, that's pretty much all Buchholz has done so far in his professional career.

The Reds got him under contract and sent him to Billings right along with Shunick. At Billings, Buchholz has demonstrated the good offensive potential that made him the #179th overall pick. In 25 ABs, Buchholz has posted a line of .400/.483/.560/1.043. He has 2 doubles, 1 triple, and a 4/3 K/BB ratio.

It's difficult to imagine a better way to start your professional career.

Professional Debut Grade: A+

Reds Day 1 Draft Picks

The first 6 rounds are in the books and the Reds came away with 5 players after forfeiting their second round pick as compensation for signing Francisco Cordero.

Pick #7 Yonder Alonso

The Reds threw a curveball and selected Miami first baseman Yonder Alonso. They had been rumored to select University of Georgia shortstop Gordon Beckham.

Alonso is an interesting choice for Reds for a couple of reasons. The Reds in recent years have really focused on drafting players at the premier defensive positions, so selecting a defensively challenged first baseman certainly breaks this trend. In addition, selecting a first baseman is an interesting choice given the presence of Joey Votto on the roster. Of course, selecting the best player available is usually a good idea, but one wonders what will happen in a couple of seasons when Alonso is ready for the big leagues. Given Alonso's stunning lack of foot speed, it would appear that Votto will have to shift to leftfield or a trade will be necessary.

One good thing to like about Yonder is his plate discipline. He has a very advanced approach at the plate and should draw a lot of walks. Of course, that's almost a necessity in his case, because he can't run. Still, Alonso should be an impact offensive player and hopefully an adequate defensive player. He wouldn't have been my first choice, but the Reds deserve the benefit of the doubt after a couple of stellar drafts.

Pick #84 Zach Stewart

The Reds took Zach Stewart in the 3rd round. Stewart was the closer at Texas Tech where he featured a heavy fastball that sat in 95-97 mph range. He also had an average slider that has plus potential. In addition, he has very good control.

Stewart has clean mechanics and good body control. He works from a three quarter arm slot, which gives him good movement on his pitches.

College closers have become very trendy, but this is an interesting choice for the Reds. Given that they forfeited their second round pick, one would think that they would opt for a prospect with a higher upside. The best case scenario for Stewart and the Reds would seem to be pitching ~65 innings a year at the MLB level.

Maybe it'll work out well, but given that Tim Melville, Tim Murphy, Petey Paramore, and Brandon Crawford were still available, Stewart is a curious choice.

Pick #119 Tyler Cline

Tyler Cline stands 6'2" and weighs 220 lbs. The Reds picked him out of Cass High School in Georgia. The Reds scouts must have worked overtime on this one, as there isn't much information out there on Cline.

Pick #149 Clayton Shunick

Clayton Shunick was drafted out of North Carolina State. He is a junior, stands 6'01", and weighs 175 lbs.

Shunick has an unorthodox arm action. After he breaks his arms, he drops his pitching arm down and then brings it up in a circular type motion. However, he seems to have an unusual action with his pitching hand on his arm swing. His pitching arm stays in too close to his body in large part because of how he is holding the ball at this point.

You can actually see a bit of this in this photo: His pitching arm is too low and close to his body, because his pitching hand is somewhat cocked, which means that he is actually holding the ball higher than his forearm. If he would relax his hand and let the ball hang below his forearm, then his upper arm would automatically shift away from the body and bring his pitching arm into more of a straight line with his glove arm. This would also give him a more natural and fluid delivery. At this point in the delivery, most pitchers hold the ball and pitching hand below the rest of the arm, which, if he did this, would put Shunick in better position to bring his arm up into his pitching slot.

To be honest, I'm not even sure how Shunick can get into position to throw the ball from this position. If you hold your arm out like he is and cock your wrist back like he does, I'm not sure how you can get your arm up and into position to throw. The muscles just don't seem to work that way. It's pretty unnatural, especially if in comparison you again hold your arm out like he is, but this time let the hand dip below the rest of the arm. The arm muscles shift and everything just feels more natural.

Given the point he is at in his windup and the ball position, I'm not sure he's able to get his arm up into a good arm slot in time to throw the pitch, which can't help but put significant additional stress on the shoulder.

All in all, Shunick seems to lack top notch stuff and throws with unorthodox mechanics. However, it's difficult to argue with the results.

In 2008, Shunick went 7-5 with a 2.16 ERA in 95.2 innings. He worked almost exclusively as a starter and posted a 108/23 K/BB ratio. Opponents only hit a paltry .215 against him.

Shunick doesn't look very impressive in action, but his stats indicate otherwise. It'll be interesting to see which is the real Shunick.

Pick #179 Alexander Buchholz

Alexander Buchholz is a shortstop out of University of Delaware. He stands 6'0" and weighs 185.

Buchholz hit .319 for the Fightin' Blue Hens. For his career, he has a .366 batting average, 34 homers, and 161 RBI.

Interestingly enough, the Reds have now selected 3 University of Delaware prospects in the last 2 drafts. Buchholz joins Brandon Menchaca and Mike McGuire.

Buchholz is an interesting prospect, as a middle infielder with good pop in his bat.


All in all, an interesting, if not overwhelmingly impressive first batch of prospects. Hopefully the Reds step it up and find a few quality prospects in tomorrow's portion of the draft.