By far the most-surprising thing about the Cedric Benson news is that no one found out about it for a month. In this day and age, that is unheard of.

Benson was arrested on misdemeanor assault charges on Tuesday for punching a bar employee in Austin, Texas (where he played his college football for the Longhorns). The incident took place on May 30, yet not one word was leaked until Tuesday. That is amazing. High-profile (or even sometimes low-profile) athletes get pulled over for speeding and you're likely to read about it somewhere. So, for Benson to have punched a bar employee to the point the guy was spitting blood and for us to not find out about it for a month is mind-boggling in the year 2010.

As for the affect this will have on the Bengals this season, maybe I have a different perspective on this due to how I found out about the news - which I will get to in a moment - but I don't think this will turn out to be a big problem for Benson and/or the team. The only possible issue would be a one-game suspension handed down by the NFL for a repeat violation of the league's personal conduct policy (I can't imagine it would be more than one game) but hopefully Benson can avoid that. And even if that happens, put me in the camp that believes Bernard Scott could get the job done and then some if he needed to start.

The Bengals have stayed out of trouble for the most part since their highly-embarrassing stretch in 2006. There have been exceptions like Rey Maualuga's DUI arrest in January, but the team has turned around its image to some extent. The Benson news obviously won't help that situation though.

As for how I found out about Benson's arrest, trust me, usually people don't inform me of breaking Bengals news; it's the other way around. I am usually in front of a computer or watching sports most of the day. My real job entails covering sports, so I can get away with that kind of lifestyle. It's once in a blue moon that one of my fellow Bengal fan friends will inform me of news regarding the team.

However, I'm taking the week off of my real gig and took the family to the Columbus Zoo on Tuesday. Was away from the computer all day and had my phone off. When I got home, I had an email from a friend that just said, "Cedric Fuggin Benson" in the subject line and then just "Damn, that sucks about Benson" in the email (presuming I knew what he was talking about).

Well, immediately I assumed Benson tore an ACL or something and was out for the season. So, when I did a quick search and found out the real news, I was actually relieved. Like most things in life, it's all about perception, is it not?

So, we'll see how the case turns out and whether Roger Goodell will hand down a one-game suspension. However, given the fact that it's a misdemeanor offense and no one was seriously hurt (and we haven't even heard Benson's side of the story yet) I would venture to guess this won't be a big deal.

And did I mention that I would take this over a torn ACL? Or a ruptured Achilles? (Sorry, Willie Colon and Steeler fans. I was starting to think that injury only happened to Bengal players. Colon, Pittsburgh's starting right tackle, will miss the entire 2010 season.)

[UPDATE: Wow, there are several twists to this story. Now it sounds like Benson was actually the one that was assaulted first. A few women wanted to take pictures with Benson and a man came up and objected to Benson posing with the women. Benson said it was the women who requested him to pose with them for pictures and then the man punched him. Soon after, another man approached Benson and Benson thought it was a friend of the man who had punched him. So, Benson punched the guy in the face. However, it was actually a bar employee and not a friend of the man who originally punched Benson for taking a picture with the women. It will definitely be interesting to see how all of this plays out, but it doesn't seem like all that big of a deal from my vantage point.]

But anyone who thinks he's great defensively doesn't watch enough baseball. Some Reds fans who have been caught up in Stubbs hype (not exactly sure how that could happen given his below-mediocre play) even opined recently that he was "the best defensive CF in baseball." Uh, Franklin Gutierrez, anyone? And I'm sure there are many more, but that is at least one that I know for sure is much better than Stubbs defensively. Great speed does not automatically make for a great CF. Stubbs isn't bad by any means (at least not defensively) but let's stop this ridiculous talk that he's something special when he roams the outfield. His "drop" really cost the Reds Tuesday night against the Phillies (it was somehow ruled a "double" by the little league mom who was filling in as the official scorer - "But he tried really hard") and he's made several other gaffes this season.

Simply put, Stubbs is overrated defensively and this Reds fan is frustrated about it. I don't understand why he continues to get free pass after free pass from Dusty Baker and/or the front office.

Or, maybe I do.

If Chris Heisey was a former first-rounder and Stubbs was a former 17^th rounder, would Heisey be the everyday CF on this team? I absolutely think so. What round a player was taken should have no bearing on what happens when he reaches the big leagues. Heisey is clearly the better overall player when comparing him to Stubbs.

You know, if you are into minor details like "performance in games."

(And yes, I'll have my thoughts on the Ced Benson arrest tomorrow. In short, I don't think it will be a big deal. It's not like he jumped off a truck and killed himself or something.)

Mea culpa! But man it's fun to be wrong in this case.

The Reds - who never seem to play well on the West Coast and get blasted by nobodies like me for doing so - finished off a three-game sweep at Oakland Wednesday afternoon.

The Reds are now 40-33, which puts them one game behind the Cardinals (40-31) for first place in the NL Central. (St. Louis won 1-0 Wednesday night over the Blue Jays.)

Johnny Cueto is now 7-2 with a 3.97 ERA on the season. What an excellent season he is having at the age of 24.

And what a sports day it was. First Landon Donovan's goal in stoppage time (91^st minute) to lift the United States over Algeria 1-0 and into the final 16/knockout round. I'm definitely not a big soccer fan, but I can get down with some World Cup. I am all about team USA right now. And then I will go back to not caring about soccer for another four years. (Very similar to Olympic hockey.)

Then we saw by far the longest match in tennis history at Wimbledon ... and it's still not over as American John Isner and Nicolas Mahut are deadlocked at 59-59 in the fifth set. It will resume Thursday morning after 10:30 a.m. EST. Are you kidding me with that score? (And Isner is lucky that they suspended play because he was physically drained, while Mahut didn't appear all that tired. It will be interesting to see how that ends up.)

Then the Reds finished off the sweep of the A's. Oh, so you think only Reds fans will remember June 23, 2010 for three big sports events and not just two? True, but that's perfectly fine with me. It was huge for the team to prove that they can win on West Coast after getting swept by the Mariners.

Next up for Cincinnati is a three-game series at home with the Indians that begins on Friday. The Reds took two of three games from their cross-state rivals earlier this season in Cleveland.

Most of the top prospects in baseball are in the National League, which indicates a power shift in future seasons. The AL has been the better league by far for several years, but that appears ready to change due to the infusion of talent that has hit the NL. Really, when you look at the list, it's quite amazing:

• Stephen Strasburg - SP, Washington
• Jason Heyward - OF, Atlanta
• Mike Stanton - OF, Florida
• Buster Posey - C/1B - San Francisco
• Starlin Castro - SS, Chicago Cubs
• Pedro Alvarez - 3B, Pittsburgh
• Mike Leake - SP, Cincinnati
• Aroldis Chapman - SP, Cincinnati (well, Louisville for now)

Now, the AL does have a few top prospects - such as closer Neftail Feliz from Texas, starting pitcher Brian Matusz of Baltimore and catcher Carlos Santana from Cleveland - but the NL has without question the top-two rookies in the game (Strasburg and Heyward) and I have to think Stanton will be the third-best rookie in the Majors this year before it's all said and done. He smashed his first career home run last Friday and it was a grand slam. He led the minors with 21 homers (in just 192 at-bats) before his call-up from Double-A. He also had a pretty decent OPS of 1.171. (I didn't think the stat went up that high -- .800 is considered good, .900 is great and 1.000 is Pujols. Course, Pujols obviously being on the juice helps his cause. Yeah, I said it.)

Also, Posey is having an excellent start to his career (although not playing catcher thus far hurts his value a bit in my book - it's much easier to find a good first baseman than a good catcher) and Leake has been lights-out, sans two starts. I thought Leake might be hitting the rookie wall, but he was very sharp in a no-decision against Oakland Monday night. (A 6-4 Reds win in 10 innings ... OK, I guess they shouldn't stay home instead of making West Coast trips. But it was good to see them play solid baseball on the left coast for a change.)

The point is that if you just had a Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year award - instead of it being split up by league - it would be dominated by the NL this year like we've never seen before. Seriously, guys like Strasburg, Heyward and Stanton don't come around very often, but they are all rookies in the same season. I certainly don't remember anything that rivals this. Then you add in excellent players in their own right like Posey, Castro (I hate to say it since he plays for the Cubs, but it sure must be nice to have a 20-year-old that you know is going to be your shortstop for the next 15 years in all likelihood) and Leake and you can really feel the power shift coming between the leagues.

And yes, I put Chapman on the list as well. He's a 22-year-old lefty that throws 103 MPH. I don't care that he's had a couple rough outings in Triple-A - he's been very good for the most part and MLB hitters are going to want nothing to do with him.

The Reds should just stay home when they have a West Coast trip scheduled. They would at least save on travel costs that way. They never play well out there, but I thought they would at least be able to win a series - or at least a game - against a terrible team like the Mariners.

Negative. Instead, the Reds scored a total of 1 run in the three-game series and got swept. (That's 0.333 runs per game if you're scoring at home ... "or even if you're alone." Tip of the cap to Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann from the old Sportscenter days.)

Listen, I understand that Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez are two of the best pitchers in baseball. But the Reds didn't have a clue against either of them and made them look even better than they are. Then Cincinnati backs it up on Sunday by getting shut out by a guy like Ryan Rowland-Smith who entered play 0-6 with a 6.63 ERA. That's beyond awful right there. This guy couldn't get anyone out all year and suddenly he's Sandy Koufax against the Reds? On the heels of the Reds embarrassing themselves the previous two nights at the plate no less.

So, just like that, the Reds have gone from sole possession of first place to 1.5 games behind the Cardinals. You can't get swept by scrub teams and hope to stay in the race. Are the Reds beginning their yearly summer swoon after tricking us into thinking they were going to be contenders? Hopefully not, but this was a horrible weekend of baseball for the men from Cincinnati. You could almost live with it if they played like that against a good team. But if they played like that against the Mariners, the immediate future is not looking too bright.

There are suddenly question marks all over this team. They need to get Sam LeCure out of the starting rotation ASAFP because he simply does not have big-league stuff. Not even close. There are also questions in terms of when Homer Bailey will come back, if Edinson Volquez is actually ready to contribute (or if the team is rushing him back - he's roughly scheduled to make his first start for the Reds this season on July 7 if his minor league rehab continues to go well) and when Aroldis Chapman will be called up.

Then there's the bullpen which makes me cringe just thinking about it. You have Arthur Rhodes and then a bunch of guys that are questionable at best. Actually, for all the heat he gets, Francisco Cordero is not an awful closer by any means (just an overpaid one). And Micah Owings has been solid this year. But other than that, the Reds have an atrocious bullpen. They need to make a trade for one or two bullpen arms if they hope to stay in the race.

Then there's the offense that all of us thought would struggle this year, but shocked us when they hit the ball extremely well through the first couple months of the season. But man things haven't looked good lately. Orlando Cabrera seems like a guarantee to go 0-for-4 every night. Opposing pitchers must throw a party when they know Drew Stubbs is in the lineup because they know they can throw bad pitches that he will wave at all night.

And other than Chris Heisey, the Reds' bench has nothing to add. Laynce Nix should be thankful he still has a job. Corky Miller also has no business being on a Major League roster and I can't wait until Ryan Hanigan comes back from his thumb injury. Hanigan has been a bigger loss than almost anyone expected.

The Reds played as poorly as they possibly could have this weekend. We'll see if they reverse their fortunes against Oakland beginning Monday night. But is there any way we can get that game moved somewhere off the West Coast? If not, the Reds might as well come home given the way they usually play out there. And there's no excuse for it. Jetlag or whatever BS you want to use. Teams like San Francisco and Los Angeles seem to have no problems coming to Cincinnati and winning. But the Reds always get their asses kicked when they go to the West Coast.

Is it time to be completely impolite and call the Reds' 2008 first-round draft pick Yonder Alonso the "B" word?

No, not biatch. The other "B" word: Bust.

Oh, you think it's too early to label him as such? I can understand that point of view. But it's certainly not too early to wonder if Yonder (that almost rhymes) is ever going to make it as a starter in the Major Leagues.

Most of the players from his draft class that played college ball are already in the Big Leagues doing big things. I'm referring to guys like Pedro Alvarez (No. 2 overall to Pittsburgh), Brian Matusz (No. 4 to Baltimore), Buster Posey (No. 5 to San Francisco), Gordon Beckham (No. 8 to the Chicago White Sox - one pick after the Reds took Alonso at No. 7), Justin Smoak (No. 11 to Texas) and Ike Davis (No. 18 to the New York Mets).

Meanwhile, Alonso is scuffling at Triple-A Louisville, where he is batting just .245 with two home runs and 18 RBIs (he's had 139 at-bats and has an OPS of .651). Things weren't much better at Double-A Carolina earlier this season before his call-up to Louisville. With Carolina, Alonso batted .267 with three homers and 13 RBIs (101 at-bats, .794 OPS).

So, overall this season in 240 minor-league at-bats, Alonso is batting .254 with five home runs and 31 RBIs with an OPS of .713. Look at those numbers again. Not exactly what you want out of the seventh pick of the draft two years after said draft when the player came out of the college ranks. And when you look around at some of the guys the Reds could have drafted instead, it makes it that much worse.

Beckham is struggling this year, but at least he's good enough to start in the Big Leagues. And he was very solid as a rookie last year. The problem with him is the Reds weren't convinced he could play shortstop - an opinion that is being backed up by the fact that the White Sox have only used him at second base and third base thus far in his career - but where can Alonso play? He certainly can't play first base for the Reds, not with Joey Votto around.

And Alonso's not hitting well enough to even make it a discussion. Once he proves he can hit minor league pitching, then the Reds can worry about where he's going to play. If he keeps up his current pace, he won't play for the Reds at all.

Also, if the Reds wanted a slugging first baseman in the '08 draft, I'm still surprised they didn't go with Smoak who was ranked higher than Alonso by everyone. Oh well, Chris Buckley more than made up for it by landing Mike Leake in the 2009 draft, but the Alonso pick is not looking good. Not even close.

Hopefully the University of Miami product gets things turned around. But it's definitely looking bleak at this point. He can barely hit minor league pitching and he's a full year removed from his hand injury that wiped out half of his 2009 season. Can't use that as an excuse any longer; the guy is just not as good as the Reds' brass had hoped. At least so far.

Bronson Arroyo was the star of this one as he hammered a three-run homer to give the Reds a 3-1 lead which just snowballed from there. Joey Votto added his 14^th HR of the season and Brandon Phillips added his ninth.

In addition to his heroics at the plate, Arroyo gave the Reds a much-needed quality start on the mound. He went 7 innings and improved his mark to 6-3 on the season with an ERA of 4.53.

At least the Reds can count on one of their high-priced starters from time to time. Harang, on the other hand, has completely fallen apart. He is 5-6 with an ERA of 5.44, making fans wonder what happened to the hurler that was borderline excellent from 2005-07. I just don't see it getting much better with Harang. His stuff is weak and he nibbles far too much. I'd rather see him come right at batters with his sneaky-fast fastball than all this nibbling that he's become notorious for. The guy simply does not have a good curve, slider or change. He's never going to blow hitters away with his fastball, but that used to be his calling card. He could spot his fastball and he's lost the art of doing that.

Who would replace Harang?: Let's say Harang continues to pitch like his name is Jimmy Haynes. Or Eric Milton. (Or fill in your favorite atrocious Reds starting pitcher in recent memory.) What would happen next? Well, they certainly wouldn't release him; not with what he's making. But they could perhaps move him to a long-relief role in the bullpen (which definitely needs as much help as it can get).

The best thing for the Reds would obviously be for Harang to re-gain at least some of his old form and at least be able to keep the team in ballgames. However, if that doesn't happen and he needs to be replaced, I still think Aroldis Chapman should be the one that is added to the rotation. He's had a few rocky starts at Triple-A Louisville, but is still putting up solid numbers overall (5-4, 4.22 ERA, 59.2 IP, 56 H, 36 BB, 70 K). The walks are a bit troublesome, but that was expected by everyone who scouted him. I am very encouraged by his strikeout numbers and the fact that he's reached 103 MPH on the gun multiple times.

The time is coming soon where Chapman will be wearing a Reds uniform. At least I hope. Even with his wildness, he would give the team a better chance to win that Harang right now.

Bailey still nursing sore shoulder: It's not clear when Homer Bailey will be back in the rotation as he continues to recover from right shoulder inflammation. Therefore, Sam LeCure will continue to fill in for Bailey. LeCure has been solid, but teams are figuring him out more and more with each start. He does not have good stuff at all and it's not a good thing for the Reds if he remains in the rotation much longer. And no, Bailey wasn't exactly tearing things up, but Bailey has a lot of potential while LeCure has AAAA pitcher written all over him. Too good for the minors but not quite good enough for the Majors. I think his numbers this year so far have been a bit of a mirage given the fact that his career minor league numbers aren't all that impressive.

Reds need to trade for a reliever pronto: No sense in waiting until the trading deadline or even close. If the Reds believe they are in the race to stay, they have to do something about the bullpen soon. And calling up guys like Jordan Smith who couldn't even get hitters out at Double-A Carolina is not going to do the trick. Seriously, they called a guy up from AA with a 5.08 ERA? Really? Why not call up Matt Maloney and use him out of the bullpen? Some of these moves make absolutely no sense and Walt Jocketty better make a trade before it's too late. The Reds are in dire need of help in their ‘pen. Can't rely on Arthur Rhodes having a 0.31 ERA all season. Although, I sure wouldn't complain if he did. (BTW, Rhodes better be on the All-Star team. I don't care that he's not a closer - he's been the best reliever in baseball this season. It's nothing short of amazing what he's done, especially considering he's 40. Yes, he's a man. He's 40.)

The Reds can't continue to run guys like Danny Herrera out there and expect to stay in the race. Herrera is so hittable that he makes Harang look like Stephen Strasburg at times.

Pleasantly shocked about the offense: "Pleased" wouldn't even do it justice. Entering the season, I thought the weakness of the team would be offensive production. I didn't think they'd be terrible by any means, but I certainly didn't expect this.

Think about it: Almost all of Cincinnati's key hitters are having good years: Votto has been very Vottolike so far, the streaky Phillips is as hot as Brooklyn Decker at the moment, Scott Rolen is enjoying an offensive renaissance in Great American Small Park (although, to be fair, he did start off very hot offensively with the Blue Jays last year before being traded to the Reds), Jonny Gomes is having a career year and Jay Bruce is holding his own (don't forget Mr. Bruce is still only 23 ... he's doing just fine). The only key member of the lineup that continues to be a black hole most of the time at the dish is Drew Stubbs. However, he will continue to get a free pass no matter how poorly he plays. If he was a former 10^th-round pick, he'd probably be in Louisville right now. But because the Reds took him in the first round (8^th overall to be exact) they feel the need to make him their everyday starting centerfielder, despite the fact that it's obvious to everyone that Chris Heisey should be playing more. However, thanks to the other members of the lineup getting it done, Stubbs' horrible at bats have been swept under the rug to some extent. I mean, if a guy is going to strike out that much, I would at least like him to be a big-time power hitter like Adam Dunn. Stubbs is just never going to be a good hitter in my opinion. What about his minor league numbers would make you feel differently?

Bottom line: It's June 17 and the Reds are in sole possession of first place. You gotta love that.

Grandal, 21, is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and hails from the University of Miami. This marks the second time in the last three years that the Reds have drafted a former Hurricane in the first round (Yonder Alonso in 2008). This also means Cincinnati has taken a catcher in the first round in two of the last four years (Devin Mesoraco in 2007). Before Mesoraco, the team had taken a catcher in the first round just twice in the organization's history (Dan LaMar in 1979 and Dan Wilson in 1990). Think about that for a second. So, they must really like Grandal.

Grandal is known as a solid defensive player who developed into a very good hitter with a lot of pop at the collegiate level. As a junior at Miami in 2010, he had a breakout year at the plate, batting .412 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs. That earned him ACC Player of the Year honors. Grandal is also a switch hitter, although many believe he is much better from the left side of the dish.

Interestingly, ESPN's Keith Law projected Grandal to go fourth overall to the Kansas City Royals in his most-recent mock draft. Therefore, it looks like the Reds might have gotten themselves very good value here. (But like I blogged earlier today, Law originally predicted that Grandal would be a Red. More proof that people should usually go with their first reaction.)

As for Mesoraco, he is having a career season in the minors offensively, but he's getting a good chunk of his starts as a designated hitter. The club has never been enamored with his defense and that might be the reason they decided to draft Grandal just three years after taking Mesoraco. I thought Mesoraco's surge at the plate this year - at least when he was at high-A - might make them hold off on drafting a catcher so early.

There is also the chance that the Reds were ready to take Georgia Tech pitcher Deck McGwire who went 11^th to the Blue Jays. Law's final mock had the Reds taking McGwire. However, maybe it's just the optimist in me, but I like the Grandal pick. You can never have enough pitching, but the Reds do have a lot of it in the stable. And most of them are young guns. Mike Leake and Aroldis Chapman are only 22, while Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey are just 24. (And Edinson Volquez is 26.) So, if any team could afford to pass on pitching in the first round, it was the Reds. (Wow, did I just write that?)

If Grandal ends up locking down the Reds' starting catching job for years to come, we're going to look back on this as a great pick. There is already talk that signability might be a problem, but the Reds' front office has proven in recent years they are willing to invest in young talent, whether that means signing their draft picks, or signing young international free agents from places like Cuba, Dominican Republic and Venezuela (17-year-old OF Yorman Rodriguez appears to be a great find out of the latter nation). It's been a complete change in philosophy for the Reds in Latin America and it's going to pay off in the future.

As for Grandal? Well, we'll just have to wait and see. A lot of first-round MLB draft picks never make it, but hopefully he will have a long and productive career in the Queen City. This team has been waiting for their "catcher of the future" for a long time. I think that person is Ryan Hanigan, but he's already pushing 30 and the organization at least needs quality depth at the position. I'm not crazy about the pick, but overall I like it. Solid. Alex Wimmers would have been an enticing option though.

And the beat goes on for the Cincinnati Reds in close games. Following Sunday's 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals - which allowed the Reds to win the series two games to one - the Reds are 5-1 in extra inning games this season.

It was a key victory as it allowed Cincinnati to move back into a tie for first place in the National League Central Division with the St. Louis Cardinals. Both clubs have a 33-24 mark, which ties as the second-best record in the NL (the San Diego Padres are 0.5 games up on the Reds/Cardinals with a mark of 33-23).

Other quick-hitters from the Reds:

Drew Stubbs is starting to prove me wrong and I love it: Stubbs flat-out won Sunday's game for the Reds with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, including the game-winning, two-out RBI single in the top of the 10^th inning. Stubbs also had a big knock in the previous inning when he led off with a double. The Reds were trailing 2-1 entering the ninth, but scored 3 runs to take a 4-2 lead. However, Coco Cordero blew the save (which is becoming a bit of a theme), but Stubbs was right there to pick him up the following inning.

Hanigan is a bigger loss than some expected: I'm not down on Ramon Hernandez - I think he's a solid player. However, there is no question in my mind that Ryan Hanigan is the best catcher on the team. The team ERA is much lower when he his behind the plate and he's every bit as good of a hitter as Hernandez. (In fact, this year, Hanigan has been the better hitter by far - and Hernandez has been solid. It's just that Hanigan was hitting extremely well before he went on the DL with a fractured bone in the tip of hi thumb.)

Another problem with losing Hanigan (who is expected to return by the end of the month at the latest) is that Corky Miller now has to get spot starts to give Hernandez a rest and Miller is almost-always out-matched at the plate. Hopefully Hanigan gets back even sooner than expected and is able to pick up right where he left off, or at least close to it.

In my opinion, the Reds are three players away: The Reds are already a contender this season - there is no doubt about that. I think they are going to stay in the race all year. However, if they really want to get over the top and make the playoffs, I think they are three players away: two bullpen arms and an extra outfielder (not necessarily a starter, just another OF bat).

So, can GM Walt Jocketty pull off a trade for all three of the components that I believe the team needs? Is that realistic? And they don't need to be top-shelf guys, just players that can help. I think the trades are going to happen, or at least something close (maybe they will only trade for one bullpen arm instead of two, for instance). I'm convinced that owner Bob Castellini is sick of losing and thinks that this year might be his best shot to get something done. They won't mortgage the future to rent a few players for 2-3 months, but the Reds have enough minor league talent to get something done, while not giving away any of their top prospects.

Speaking of prospects ... Mesoraco going from "bust" to "very intriguing": The Reds' 2007 first-round draft pick Devin Mesoraco has been a big disappointment up until this season. The catcher was behind the curve offensively and defensively during his first 2.5 seasons of pro ball.

However, something has clicked this year and Mesoraco was recently promoted from high-A Lynchburg to Double-A Carolina. While in A-ball playing for the Hillcats, Mesoraco, 21, batted .335 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs. He had an OPS of 1.035 in 158 at-bats.

Thus far with the Mudcats, Mesoraco is only batting .182 with two homers and three RBIs (OPS of .724 in just 22 at bats). However, the good news is that he finally seems to be on the right track. Hopefully he will have a solid year at Double-A and will establish himself as the Reds' catcher of the future.

First-round of the MLB draft is tonight: The Reds have the 12^th overall pick of the 2010 draft tonight (the draft is spread over three days now and there are several different directions they could elect to go. After landing the steal of the 2009 draft - pitcher Mike Leake with the No. 8 overall pick - the Reds' front office, led by scouting director Chris Buckley, must be feeling pretty good about their ability to draft well.

There are three names that I am keeping a close eye on - guys that could land with the Reds with the 12^th pick tonight. They include shortstop Christian Colon from Cal State Fullerton, right-handed starting pitcher Alex Wimmers from Ohio State and catcher Yasmani Grandal from the University of Miami.

The Reds have a big need at shortstop, but I never like drafting based on need whether it's baseball or football. However, Colon is projected to be the No. 11 pick of the draft by ESPN's Keith Law, so if he is still available when the Reds pick, he might be a very good value. Plus, he would fill the biggest need in the organization (unless you believe that Louisville shortstop Zack Cozart is the SS of the future).

Wimmers is a two-time All-American and two-time Big Ten pitcher of the year. Law has him falling until the 21^st pick of the first round. Buckley is a big fan of drafting college pitchers, Wimmers is one of the best in the nation and he hails from Cincinnati Moeller High School. Add it all up and he might be the Reds' choice.

Grandal is also an interesting case and Law predicts that the Reds will draft him. However, with the season that Mesoraco is putting together, would the team really draft a catcher in the first round in two out of the last four years? I find that hard to believe, but if they think Grandal is their catcher of the future, don't be surprised to see Buckley and Co. pull the trigger.

[UPDATE -- 6:25 p.m. EST, Monday: Law is now projecting that the Reds will take Georgia Tech pitcher Deck McGwire with the 12th pick. Should be interesting to see what happens tonight! Last year, Buckley kept things very close to the vest and not many draft analysts predicted that Leake would be the Reds' pick. So, does Law have some inside connections, or is he guessing? We'll find out in less than two hours. The draft starts at 7 and the Reds should pick shortly after 8.]

Chapman watch: Through 10 starts at Louisville, Cuban sensation Aroldis Chapman is 5-2 with a 3.42 ERA. In 52.2 innings, he's struck out 60 batters, given up 46 hits and 28 walks.

Conventional wisdom says that Chapman will be called up sometime this month and I'm personally jacked to see his debut. His numbers at Louisville would look even better if not for two poor starts that affected his ERA. I think Chapman is going to be a nice addition to the Reds' starting staff whenever he joins it. Stephen Strasburg will make his MLB debut on Tuesday and I think Chapman's will come sometime in the middle part of the month. Yes, safe to say I'm excited to see a 22-year-old left-handed pitcher that can throw 103 MPH.

Bailey back soon?: Homer Bailey is on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation, but he will make rehab start at Louisville early this week. If all goes well, Bailey could be back in the rotation by next week. Or, if he has a setback, the team could keep Sam LeCure in the rotation for now, or give the ball to Mr. Chapman to see what he can do.

According to an Associated Press story, Aroldis Chapman is close to making his debut with the Cincinnati Reds, which comes as no surprise to anyone who follows the team. Even though the Reds have never said it, the plan all along seemed to be "wait until June to call him up" due to the way his six-year, $30.25 million contract is constructed.

Through nine starts at Triple-A Louisville, Chapman is 5-2 with a 3.55 ERA (two poor starts really hurt his ERA). In 45.2 innings, he has struck out 55, walked 25 and given up 42 hits. According to the AP, he has reached as high as 103 MPH on his fastball this season. Once the lefty proves he can consistently hit 104 on the gun, then I think the Reds will really consider bringing him up. He also needs to work on never losing and mixing in a perfect game once in a while.

Beyond the numbers, Chapman appears to be adjusting well to American culture. (Shocking considering he is now a rich guy living in the USA, instead of a poor guy living in the opressed nation of Cuba.) The AP reports that, through an interpreter, Chapman said, "I think everything has been excellent. The adjustment has been easy."

Presuming Homer Bailey is healthy upon his return from the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation, I'm not exactly sure whose place Chapman will take in the rotation. If Bailey is healthy, they aren't going to yank him from the rotation just yet. He hasn't blown anyone away this year (other than that one start against the Pirates when he threw a complete-game shutout) but the team will likely stick with him for the time being.

And what about Sam LeCure who had a very solid Major League debut on Friday getting the win in the Reds' 15-6 romp over the Astros? Does LeCure automatically go back to the minors? Well, if Bailey is healthy and Chapman is about to come up, the answer appears to be yes. However, LeCure will get at least one more chance (and probably two) to show that his debut was no fluke. So, if he is lights-out, there is always the chance LeCure will make GM Walk Jocketty and manager Dusty Baker to make a difficult decision. But chances are good LeCure will be back in the minors soon, no matter how well his cup of coffee in the majors goes.

There is always the chance Chapman will take Aaron Harang's spot in the rotation, unless the big, goofy righty gets things going soon. However, I can't imagine the Reds moving Harang to the bullpen just yet. He hasn't been that bad this year and there is still the chance he ends up having a solid year in the rotation. The days of anyone thinking Harang is a great pitcher are long gone, but he can still be decent for this team. That said, it's not completely out of the question that he will be replaced by Chapman if he gets rocked his next couple times out. Should be interesting to follow, but hopefully Harang is able to re-gain some of his old form and eat up a lot of innings (and gobble up some wins) the rest of this season.

Bottom line: Chapman, 22, is going to be a Red soon and that means he is going to take someone's spot in the rotation. I don't think they will use him as a reliever. There is a chance the situation will take care of itself and Chapman will just replace someone who gets injured. Or maybe Bailey isn't quite ready to come back and Chapman takes his spot (which, right now, is LeCure's spot). So, if I had to guess, I think it's Bailey's spot that's in jeopardy. Harang would be second on that list.