Lazy Saturday in the Boogie Down. Sunny but chilly. Think warm thoughts…Derek Jeter is working hard down in Florida.
Also, check out this interview with Brian Cashman at The Trentonian:
JN: With Russell Martin coming on board, is that an indicator that Montero will probably start the year back at Scranton?
BC: It’s an indicator of who’s going to be the starting catcher. It’s going to be Russell Martin, period. Then after that, the back-up situation’s going to be open for discussion between Cervelli, Montero, Romine, we’ll see. Or all of them. … They all could split time and get a little education in the process.
JN: With Montero, obviously the questions are with his defense. I know the Yankees believe he can catch right now. How far does the organization believe he has to go before its certain he can catch long-term.
BC: We believe he can catch, and we believe he can catch long-term.
JN: What are you and the organization seeing, then, that perhaps other organizations are missing when it comes to Montero’s defensive abilities?
BC: He’s come a long way. The defensive side is something he’s had to work on a long time. I’d liken it separately to a guy like Wade Boggs, who came through the farm system of the Red Sox, always hit, but people said he can’t play defense. He ultimately turned himself into a perennial Gold Glove-winning third baseman. Hard work can close the gap on deficiencies. Derek Jeter made 56 errors in the South Atlantic League. … The minor leagues is (where you) work out your problems, and he’s certainly closing the gap. He’s not there yet, but he’s pretty damn close. We believe he’s better than some starting catchers, defensively, in the big leagues right now.
[Picture by Bags]
Good news all around. Hopefully Jeter and Montero have excellent seasons in 2011.
Posada's not catching at all? I didn't realize he's strictly DHing.
[2] Look, you have to keep Posada at DH in order to make room for Cervelli.
So, 300 AB for Cervelli this year?
Thats what I'm getting out of this.
[4] Cervelli's been working down in the Domincan Republic with Cano. FWIW.
[2] Posada will catch on occasion, but he's the DH.
[4] That sounds about right.
[5] Carrying his bags, driving him around...that sort of thing?
[7] I think last year, even though he made Cervelli the starter, Joe had to have Posada catch every once in a while for show. There is no such obligation for Martin.
[8] Plus, by making Posada the Full Time DH™ (i.e., not the backup catcher) the team will need to carry two other catchers. Thus the secret objective of both Torre and Girardi (former catchers, of course) will finally be fulfilled!
[7] I've got a soft spot for Cervelli. What can I say?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzbGv7gz9Q
I think if Cervelli wasn't the starter last year, most (if not all) of us would like him a lot better.
[10] Yeah, his attitude.
And, love Rob. But that facial hair thing, ugh.
[12] yeah, that 'beard' is quite fugly. just awful. looks like fat papi. yuck.
I really like Montero. Having him start would probably be too much, but I'd love to see him eased into the job, as Jorgie was back in the day.
14) I hope he's not eased in too much like Posada was, or else we are looking at another two years of of Frankie Cervelli getting 120 starts, and four years before Montero is he full time starter.
[15] That's because they are just showcasing Montero for when SF is ready to dump Cain.
Shit... we gotta hold on to Brains!
There's more snow in the forecast for Tuesday/Wednesday. I love my winter sports, but I'd much rather have my snow fall up in the higher elevations than every effing week in NYC. FU MOTHER NATURE!!!!!
Cashman has really been buggin me lately, does he really have to say this?
Isn't that Girardi's job? Let him make the decision, or at least let it seem like he's making those on-field decisions.
Cashman's stock has fallen faster than Madoff's ponzi scheme, IMHO.
17) No, his stock hasn't fallen that far. And dont' kid yourself, this is the post Moneyball era. GMs rule.
[18] I see Cash's reign coming to an end after this year. Overall he did more good than bad, but he's hardly been a difference maker with respect to finding that diamond in the rough - unless you count Shawn Chacon, Aaron Small.
[10] Nice find, seems Cano has a bit of "mentoring" in him, that's always nice to see.
[17] It seems that there was an issue between Girardi and Posada WRT catching, so the word had to come down from Cashman; guess it meant more that way, I don't remember the specifics.
[15] Not Russell Martin?
Montero is just barely old enough to drink. I suspect he's going to take awhile to adjust to the big leagues. He's awfully young for a catcher.
21) after the long fascination with Miguel Cairo, And current lobe affair with Sergio Mitre, I have a bad feelng about who will get he bulk of the catching duties next year. But even if it is Martin, the back up will end up being Cervelli (i would prefer Martin to atart with Posada as the backup with no Cwrvelli on the roster and an extra bench spot frred up for something useful, but I digress). And after last year's rest-obsession, I envision Cervelli still catching 60 games or more. And imagine if Martin gets off to a slow start.
With regard to Montero's age...so what if he is young for a catcher? IRod was young for a catcher, too, but that seemed to work out OK. If Montero's bat and defense combned can play at the ML level, he should start sooner rather than later. He doesn't need a long "mentoring" period while the team starts some craptasic veteran (a la Girardi back in the day) who takes away ABs from t he younger, better player.
I love it when monkeypants posts from his iPad. Who knew we had a Welsh catcher now?
The main thing that gives me pause about Montero is his rumored attitude issues. Not really surprising for a 20-year-old, but it seems like he's someone who would benefit from being eased into the job. Wieters had some problems making the adjustment, and he was 23 when he hit the big leagues.
I think Martin will be the starter, barring injury. He's getting paid $4 million.
I was hoping Frankie's English had improved a bit, actually.
But he's still adorable.
It may be that the organization would like Montero to start at AAA for a little additional seasoning. Nothing wrong with that, the Yankees wouldn't be the first to do so.