Two years ago, Gordon Beckham was the easy pick for the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the MLB Draft.  Beckham, being a polished college player, would not take long to get to the Majors (he did not) and he was a shortstop, a position that has been a drain on the Reds production for most of this past decade.  The Reds passed on Beckham to take Yonder Alonso, a flawed, but solid college firstbase prospect.  Fast forwarding to the present, the Reds still do not have an answer for shortstop position (and even this year's answer is really no longer a middle infielder). 

That can be addressed tonight at the Draft, which begins at 7:00 EST.  There are some very good shortstop prospects who could be available at the #12 pick, the slot where the Reds find themselves.  If neither of the top shortstops are available at #12, the Reds should take the best player available.  Here is one wish list for the Reds and it only contains players who will probably be picked from #8 through #20...

1.  Manny Machado, Brito Private HS, Hialeah, FL, SS:  A week ago, he was not on the Reds' radar because he probably was going in the top five picks.  But if Kansas City, picking at #4, does indeed have a pre-draft deal with Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal sewn up, Machado may fall to the Reds.  The teams after the Royals are all eyeing pitchers so the Reds may get a gift.  If MLB allowed teams to trade draft picks, this would be a perfect opportunity for the Reds to trade up.  Machado will stay at short and has no weaknesses to speak of except foot speed (he is average). 

2.  Christian Colon, Jr, Cal State Fullerton, SS:  Colon is a better hitter than fielder.  In fact, his arm and range may force him to switch back to his 2009 position, second base.  The good news is that this middle infielder is an on- base machine with power.  He does not have a ridiculous price tag so this is a realistic pick.

3.  Stetson Allie, St. Edward HS, Lakewood, OH, RHP:  It is always risky to pick a high school pitcher.  Each has three less years experience under the belt than any college pitcher and that means three more years to get hurt or flame out.  Rarely do high schoolers help out the big league club within four years.  So this long term project better be really good and he is.  Allie just pitched his high school team to the state championship with high-90s fastballs and sharp breaking stuff.  He is a late riser on draft boards.

4.  Michael Choice, Sr., Texas- Arlington, OF:  This power hitting outfielder should be able to play in the Majors shortly.  His approach at the plate is advanced- he uses the whole field and is extremely patient (he led NCAA Division I in walks for most of the season).  He could possibly stay in centerfield which increases his value even more.

5.  Chris Sale, Jr., Florida Gulf Coast, LHP:  A safer pitcher pick than Allie would be Sale, who does not have the upside of Allie, but has the polish and multiple high- grade pitches to be in the Majors within two or three years.  He has excellent command that leads to plenty of strikeouts (his numbers are ridiculous, but his competition was weak).  His knockout pitch is his changeup.  The future middle- of- the- rotation finishes a distant fifth on this list due to injury concerns-  he throws across his body.

MLB 2010 mlb amateur draft, cincinnati reds, manny machado, chrisitan colon, stetson allie