JESUS MONTERO: THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

The Yankees catching situation is drastically different now as opposed to one year ago. In 2011, Russell Martin had a phenomenal first half, Cervelli was a decent backup, Jesus Montero was the Yankees top prospect, and Austin Romine was making a name for himself defensively. Fast forward one year later and the catching situation is well….bleak and not catchy! All of these names are void of something, and Montero is just a void now that he is with the Mariners. Without Montero, it was the perfect opportunity for Romine to shine but injuries have sidelined him and he has hadn't played most of the season (He finally played Friday night and was 0-2 in Gulf Coast Grapefruit League. Read HERE.) It's not fair to assume the Yanks would know how it would all turn out 1 year ago, but I have to ask, was keeping Romine instead of Montero smart?

That stockpile of catchers seems to be a little unreliable these days. Let’s look at this:

• Russell Martin: Our everyday catcher is a fan favorite but struggling. Actually struggling is putting it nicely. Right now reaching the Mendoza line is the first step towards improvement for him.

• Francisco Cervelli: demoted to Triple A and also playing poorly.

• Austin Romine: Injured most of 2012 and is struggling with slipped disc and back issues. These are big concerns for a catcher, just ask Russell Martin.

 (In Photo: Chris Stewart)

• Chris Stewart: Not good. Look, the Yankees picked him up for his defensive skills but he has only thrown out four of 17 base runners. He also ranks 5th in allowing passed balls, and he doesn’t play every day. This stat scares me the most.

• Gary Sanchez: At least two years away from a major league debut, and possibly more.

• Jesus Montero: GONE to Seattle.

Remember Montero? The guy that Cashman said was not going to be traded during the off season and then suggested the Yanks would give him at least 500 at-bats in 2012? (Read HERE.) Some say he didn’t have a future here, and some say that the Yankees did not believe that he could be a major league catcher for this team. In retrospect, maybe the Yankees gave up on him too quickly and maybe Seattle has benefited more, for now at least. When looking at Montero’s numbers many of them are comparable to Martin’s, with one exception….he is hitting better. Montero isn’t tearing the cover off of the ball, however, when compared to Martin, he has only made 32 starts as catcher, but he has 67 hits, 12 doubles, and 28 RBI’s and all of these numbers are better than Martin’s. He also has 8 home runs which ties him, but the difference here is that he has done it in a bench role. I can only imagine what he would have done this year back in Yankee stadium in a more hitter friendly ballpark. We already know that he can reach that short porch in right; we saw that last year when he was called up.

Defensively, Martin and Montero are quite comparable but I really think Montero’s defense will only improve with more starts behind the plate. This is also his first year in the majors and now he is with a new team which takes some adjusting anyway. Montero is not great at throwing at base runners yet, he has only caught 27% but that is something that he will improve upon as he gets more familiar with his role and a new division. He has however; improved on allowing fewer passed balls, this year he has only allowed two. I think it is still too early to say how effective he is defensively since he splits his time also in a DH role, but he’s not doing significantly worse than what the Yankees currently have.

Trading Montero has definitely hurt the Yankees, and our depth and challenges within our current catchers really show that. Montero is doing a lot of good things in Seattle, and he is embracing the opportunities there that he was not given here and as a Yankee fan I have to admit that makes me a little sad. I can’t help but wonder what we have given up or think about how he could be a future superstar for the Mariners. Fact of the matter is he is still growing into his role and change doesn’t seem to be hurting him. I wish him all the success in the world but I can’t help but wonder if Montero will be known as “the one that got away.”

--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor

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