Like I said, I’ve made my peace with Cervelli starting regularly, and obviously I can’t fault Posada too much if he’s sore. But if the combination of these factors is going so far that Cervelli can’t even be pinch hit for in a high leverage situation in August (or September), that’s a bridge too far for me, and something needs to be done. What, exactly? That’s the tricky part. Catchers aren’t easy to come by in the trade market anyway, and with the non-waiver deadline past, even if the Yankees could work out a deal, they’d still have to hope another team didn’t sniff it out and block the move on waivers. Thankfully however, the Yankees have a strong-hitting catcher in the organization at the moment, someone who, after a slow start to the season, has been absolutley on fire over the last month and is now sporting a .287/.361/.494 slash line in AAA. I’m referring, of course, to mega-prospect Jesus Montero.
Calling Montero up would have its risks, of course. Most scouting reports put his defensive skills behind the plate as below average, at best, and the Yankees have really wanted Montero to get more development time as a catcher, rather than, say, calling him up to be a DH or sit on the bench. But if the 2nd catcher is going to start at least 2 out of every 5 games, and maybe more if Posada gets sore, then you don’t have to worry about Montero not getting playing time behind the plate. As for his defense, well, the guy is an athletic 20 year old, can he be that much worse defensively than Posada, can he? The most pressing worry to me would be the likelihood that he would struggle to adjust to major league pitching, much as he struggled to adjust in his first couple of months of action in AAA. That’s certainly a valid concern, but at the least, Montero’s .494 slugging percentage, to say nothing of his .645! SLG% in July, suggest that he’s got enough power to be useful at the bottom of the lineup, certainly moreso than Cervelli. I’d have faith that Montero could hit a sac fly to score Granderson last night while with Cervelli, well, not so much. Heck, a struggling Montero could still be much better offensively than Cervelli.
I don’t see Montero on a daily basis, obviously, so I’ll defer to the Yankee front office’s evaluation of him at the moment. If they don’t think his bat is ready for the majors, or that he really isn’t up to the task defensively, they’re in a much better position to know that than I am. But if what we saw last night is what we can expect to see the rest of the season, something has to be done, and Montero might as well be a part of that discussion.
And I'm not denying its a problem, either. We're locked into an adequate spot catcher (who is being forced into a 40/60 split) and a veteran who – smart, experienced, hard working, and dedicated as he is – is having a very bad year physically.
The bad part was brought to light by someone at IATMS earlier this year (sorry – can't credit it any better) – they showed pretty convincing stats and charts, basically saying that the best catchers (and shortstops) come up withing the system. I really hope they bring both up when the roster expands, because I really think we're hurting at both positions. (and I'm not saying there are better guys out there we can get – I just wish there were.)
I think Montero deserves a pass on his slow start this year because it was his FIRST start of a season in cold weather.
If the Yankees bring up Montero, Cashman will need to dictate to Girardi to use him or otherwise he’ll be sitting on the bench.
Hey didn’t Cerv get an rbi earlier in the game?
I realize he had a POOR AB during that one appearance, but so did many other guys.
I think Mont should get a shot only if he is ready. Let the staff determine that.
That’s two nights in a row that a go-ahead-sac-fly wasn’t made. Now the Rays are a 1/2 back and the division race is getting tighter.
I understand the need to rest starters for the possibility of playing in the playoffs, but can that happen in Sept, when there’s more comforable leads?
We should not be on cruise control in August.
Ok – I’m game. Since Cervy didn’t do anything in the 8th, for sure ditch him. But in that case, can’t we do the same with the guy who hit into the rally quenching double play in the 9th? I guess we could blame Cervelli for putting the idea in his head, but going from a runner on first with no outs, to 2 outs and bases empty in the space of one swing – that doesn’t help either. Having the guy doing it be Derek Jeter, the face of the franchise – no, it really doesn’t make it any better. Not with Nick doing his job and hitting a hard single when he came up – one that more than likely would have plated Cano. IF, Cano had been advanced in some fashion after Jeter’s ab.
I know – any team in baseball would love to have Jeter. Works for me. Don’t we have another guy in Scranton who can play shortstop, and hit? With numbers at least as good as Montero?
Well obviously I’m not saying that Cervelli isn’t good enough because of one at bat, I’m saying it’s not good enough (if Posada is going to be unavailable to sub into the game when Cervelli starts) because Cervelli isn’t a good hitter overall. I’m just using last night as an example of why it’s a problem if Posada isn’t going to be able to pinch-hit on his off-days.