New York Yankees: Will Jesus Montero Be the Catcher of the Future?
November 30, 2011 · Zak Schmoll · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Jesus Montero receives more attention than most of the other Yankees combined on the hot stove. As a very strong offensive prospect at a historically weak offensive position, there is of course good reason to be excited about him.
He started as a 17-year-old prospect with the Gulf League Yankees, and he had succeeded at every level of the minor leagues. Over his five seasons in the system, he has hit .308 with 76 home runs and 316 RBI.
He is now 22 years old, and the trade rumors have never been hotter. It seems as if every time the Yankees want to trade for some starting pitcher, Jesus Montero is inevitably mentioned as the centerpiece of the trade.
I am not going to dispute that he is a great prospect. I think that he has a ton of potential and could become one of the best offensive catchers in baseball. However, what I am wondering is why the Yankees would be trying to trade him away.
Before I begin, I know the traditional line. The Yankees are one of those teams that try to win right now and will spend whatever they have to spend to win right now.
However, I do not think that that is necessarily true. Yes, the Yankees might want to win now, but they obviously do not want to destroy their future, either. They may be all about the present, but they still are smart.
To repeat, Montero just turned 22, and he made his debut with the major league Yankees last season. As a September call up, he played mostly designated hitter and hit .328 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 18 games. His bat is not the question.
There have been concerns about his defense, however. If he cannot handle being a catcher, then he would probably become a designated hitter or a first baseman. However, the offensive production demanded at either these positions is quite a bit higher.
Therefore, I would ask whether or not the Yankees truly picture Montero as a catcher like they list them on their roster.
If they did, I do not think that this type of trade talk would be a possibility. They could have had an immediate hole filled at catcher, and he could be very productive for the next 15 years or so in a Yankees uniform.
However, if the Yankees do not see Montero as a catcher, then they have Mark Teixeira at first base.
There could be room for him as a designated hitter, as Eric Chavez did a lot of that for the Yankees with moderate success, but that would be an easier position for the Yankees to fill if they wanted to. It is a lot easier to find a talented hitter to play DH then it is to find a power-hitting catcher.
I do not know this, and it definitely has not been confirmed. However, I just want to throw that out there.
Even though everything I have read from the Yankees talks about Jesus Montero staying as a catcher, could it possibly be that the Yankees do not see him playing there in the future and want to trade him right now while the value of a power-hitting catcher prospect is high?
If they claim that he profiles more as a designated hitter, his trade value falls off considerably.
Yankees fans, let me know what you think.
Read more New York Yankees news on BleacherReport.com
Yankee Tickets
Shop Yankee
