Corner Infielders Conundrum: Who stays, Who goes?

Adams and Overbay vs. Youkilis and Teixeira. The great debate.

Two months ago if I told you these four corner infielders would be battling for two spots, I would have been laughed at. Now, it's a serious situation the Yankees soon must resolve. Both Youkilis and Teixeira are expected back around the first week of June. AKA, next week.

The typical Yankees reaction? It's a good problem to have. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman are right, it is a good problem. Depth is important, especially when it comes to interleague play; however, what are they going to do about it when it comes down to filling up the lineup card each day?

First, let's hear from Twitter:

@lennysyankees wild stab in the dark: the players making $20 million and $12 million this year will get more playing time.
— Andy C (@23_Andy_C) May 27, 2013

There's no question salaries will be on the minds of Girardi and Cashman when making this decision. Then again, it isn't impossible for the Yankees to go with their guts instead of their wallet. We've seen it before.

@lennysyankees Tex at 1B, Youk at 3B, Adams back up both of those guys and play some as DH against LHP, Overbay traded for fringe prospect
— ZS (@zs190) May 27, 2013

This will likely be what happens as soon as both hobbled vets return. But hopefully it doesn't stay this way for long, and hopefully the Yankees take my advice about Overbay. See my cases for both debates below.

Nate’s Takes: Rafael Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Joe Girardi, Jesus Montero

Well football is back, which is bad news for baseball. With very few division races even close, baseball may have to take a backseat to football for the next month. The Yankees had an interesting week. They didn’t play particularly well and they suffered a few injuries that may have a long-term affect on their roster.

But after a week where the Yankees suffered some heartbreaking losses, you look at the standings and find that not only are the Yankees up by three and half games, but the Rays are dangerously close to being a real wild card threat. The Rays are only three games behind the Red Sox in the loss column and Yankee fans can only hope that a Red Sox team that has dominated the Yankees all year fails to reach the post season. Here are my takes.

Rounding out the roster: 2011 Yankees bench projection

Nine in the lineup, seven in the pen and five in the rotation leaves four spots for the bench. Three of which are made up of a backup catcher, infielder and outfielder, while the last spot is typically for a speedster or a slugger.

• Backup catcher: Gustavo Molina
• Backup infielder: Eric Chavez
• Backup outfielder: Andruw Jones
• Speedster: Eduardo Nunez

Molina has just 45 major league plate appearances, but he’s the favorite because the Yankees are showing concern for the development of both Jesus Montero and Austin Romine.

Chavez and Jones both provide a ton of experience as backups, and Nunez definitely fits the roll of speedster. Joe Girardi has used Nunez in the outfield this spring, so don’t be surprised to see him playing anywhere on the field this season.

Here’s how the rest of the team shapes up:

6 Yankees prospects listed in Baseball America’s Top 100, Jesus Montero 3rd

Behind Baseball America’s top-rated prospect Bryce Harper, six Yankees placed in the top 100. Jesus Montero, the Yankees’ top prospect, ranked third.

BA gave Montero a grade of 70 (out of 80), listed his estimated time of arrival for 2011, and said his best tool is power.

Other Yankees’ prospects in the top 100 include Gary Sanchez, Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Andrew Brackman, and Austin Romine. See below for their details.

My plan for Jesus Montero in 2011

The Yankees have one of baseball’s top prospects in Jesus Montero, and this season is a pivotal part of his development. It’s the season that he’s expected to get major league playing time, but nobody knows how much he’ll get or whether he’ll start the year in Scranton or New York.

The plan for Montero will be made sometime toward the end of spring training, but we’re all getting anxious at this point and there’s no harm in thinking about how Montero’s season will play out now.

Before I get into my plan, I want to share what Brian Cashman said about Montero recently (my emphasis).

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.

Jesus Montero, Gary Sanchez, Manny Banuelos listed on MLB.com’s Top 50 prospects

In MLB.com’s Top 50 Prospects list for 2011, Jesus Montero ranked ninth, Gary Sanchez 32nd and Manny Banuelos 35th.

Montero is the top-ranked catcher on the list. Before the Yankees acquired Russell Martin, Montero was expected to assume the starting job in place of Jorge Posada. Now, he’ll likely have to work his way to the majors during the season.

Yankees add catcher Russell Martin

The Yankees have “responded” to the Phillies acquiring Cliff Lee, as they’ve agreed to a deal with (soon-to-be) 28-year-old free agent catcher Russell Martin. The contract is unknown at this time, but if I had to guess I’d say something like one year, $5.5 million (purely a guess).

A great chance to give on Thanksgiving

The Yankees Double-A team’s clubhouse manager Tom Kackley is holding his annual charity auction to benefit Domestic Violence Project.

To help the great cause, place your bids on some cool pieces of Yankees memorabilia. The most expensive items include bats from Austin Jackson and Reggie Jackson, but you’ll also find stuff from Andy Pettitte, Jesus Montero, Austin Romine and many more.

The auction expires next Wednesday, so hurry up and purchase a holiday gift to support Tom’s effort.

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On that note, I’d like to wish everyone reading a Happy Thanksgiving! It’s hard to put into words how much you, the readers, mean to me. You keep me going, and I’m thankful to have been writing here for almost two years now.

I don’t expect a lot of Yankees news to break on the holiday, if any, so this will probably be it for the day. Enjoy your turkey, or for some of you, your tofu turkey!

Cashman won’t hand Montero catcher job; Romine, Cervelli, market to challenge

Brian Cashman addressed the media last night and discussed the catching debate for 2011. He confirmed my prediction that he would be hesitant to hand uber prospect Jesus Montero the starting catcher job (because he has no major league experience).

Cashman said Austin Romine, Francisco Cevelli and possibly a catcher on the market will compete with Montero in spring training for the job. I added my emphasis  below.

“I'm sure Montero's gonna want to prove that it's time for him to catch,” Cashman said. “I'm sure Romine's gonna want to prove that, 'Hey, why is Montero getting all the ink, they should be writing about me.' And I'm sure Cervelli is in the middle of this thing saying, 'Hey, this is a bunch of crap, because I should be the guy that they're talking about being the everyday guy. I've got more experience than the other two.' Which creates great competition -- that's what I want. And I wouldn't even close the door on looking out in the marketplace and see if I can secure somebody else out there as a cushion. ... I hope that'll be a great healthy competition.”

LoHud suggests the Yankees may vie for a catcher cheaper than John Buck, a name I suggested in my last post on the Yankees’ catching situation.

Here’s a list of free agent catchers (via MLBTR):

Rod Barajas (35) - Type B
Josh Bard (33)
Henry Blanco (39)
John Buck (30) - Type B
Ramon Hernandez (35) - Type A
Gerald Laird (31) - Type B
Victor Martinez (32) - Type A
Bengie Molina (36) - Type B
Miguel Olivo (32) - Type B
A.J. Pierzynski (34) - Type A
Yorvit Torrealba (32) - Type B
Matt Treanor (35)
Jason Varitek (39) - Type B
Gregg Zaun (40)

Take your pick of Type B’s or below, I guess. Keep in mind Cashman could certainly trade for a catcher too.

Yankees minor league prospects update: Montero, Phelps, Romine, Brackman

It’s time for another mid-month minor league prospects update for Yankees fans.

Triple-A: Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees
Jesus Montero C: The Yankees’ most prized prospect finally is heating up, and it all started when he was nearly traded to the Mariners for Cliff Lee. Since that date, he’s 7-for-20 with two homers, a double and four RBIs. In his last 10 games, he’s hitting .353/.465/.559. I was prepared to trade him for Lee without crying, but now he’s giving me some more hope.

David Phelps RHP: Phelps earned a promotion to Triple-A after 14 stellar starts with Double-A, and he hasn’t looked back. In just three starts thus far, he’s allowed four earned over 17-2/3 innings. In his last two starts, he’s thrown six innings and allowed zero and one earned run. He also K’d 10 in his last start and hasn’t walked a single batter in all three Double-A starts.
Full Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Triple-A stats here.

Double-A: Trenton Thunder
Austin Romine C: Romine, the Yankees’ second best catcher in the minors, is in a bit of a slump lately: .225/.262/.325 in his last 10 games. His K/BB ratio for the year is not impressive (65/35) and his power is lacking as well (six homers in 291 ABs). The Yankees say Romine’s catching ability is superior to Montero’s, but they might just be playing up Montero’s defense to raise his trade value.

Andrew Brackman RHP: Brackman earned a promotion to Double-A toward the end of June and hasn’t carried his success over from High-A Tampa. In five starts so far, he’s 1-4 with a 4.56 ERA. But what’s worse is his increase in walks: He’s already walked two more batters in 25-2/3 Double-A innings than he did in 60 High-A innings. I’ll continue to monitor Brackman’s performance closely.
Full Trenton Thunder Double-A stats here.

High-A: Tampa Yankees stats here.
Low-A: Charleston RiverDogs stats here.
(All of the used stats are prior to action on 7/19.)

Romine, Noesi have strong showings at Futures Game

Two Yankees prospects participated in the 2010 Futures Game yesterday, Trenton Thunder catcher Austin Romine and pitcher Hector Noesi.

Romine, 21, went 1-for-2 with an RBI double and is hitting .281/.360/.421 with six homers and 44 RBIs on the year.

Noesi, 23, tossed a scoreless second inning allowing just one hit, while sporting a 6-1 record and 1.74 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP on the year.

Great seeing two more Yankees compete in this game. Jesus Montero would’ve been a third this year, but he had already played in the game the last two years — which is the max, apparently.

Poll Results: Cervelli’s future with Yankees

Of all the great catchers in the Yankees organization, fans have voted Francisco Cervelli, the only one currently with major league experience, the catcher who has a long future ahead with the Yankees, securing 50 percent of the vote.

Notables following Cervelli in the polls were Jesus Montero (23 percent) and Austin Romine (20 percent). Just four percent voted none of the Yankees catchers will have a long future with the team.

At this point in time it may seem like Cervelli is the future, but a simple background check might sway voters’ minds. Cervelli wasn’t even regarded as a top prospect when he was in the minors. Hitting under .250 with Trenton last year, Cervelli was the most qualified to be called up when a third-string catcher was needed.

Montero and Romine are considered two of the top prospects in the organization. Some scouts believe Montero will wind up a first baseman or DH because of his below-average catching, but most will tell you his bat is major league ready and is comparable to Miguel Cabrera.

Montero is with Triple-A this year, hitting a mere .238/.315/.371. Romine is off to a flying start in Double-A with a line of .324/.383/.486.

Jorge Posada is 38 years old but is having one of his best years in the majors thus far. He is signed just through next year, but I wonder if he’ll get an extension to play solely as a DH/backup catcher. The Yankees already have plenty of coaches with catching experience. Just ask Tony Pena or Joe Girardi.

My vote went to Montero, as I can’t remember the last time the Yankees have had such a highly touted catching prospect. I have to be worried about his defense, but, then again, he’s only 20 years old and scouts say his arm has shown improvements already in 2010. The Yankees organization has plenty of guys to teach him the tricks of the trade to catching in the majors.

Next poll: Who will finish the year with more wins?

Girardi: Posada out 3 to 4 weeks; Montero, Romine, Moeller are replacement options

Just when I was about to post why Francisco Cervelli should be the full-time catcher, news breaks that Jorge Posada has a hairline fracture in his right foot and will miss three to four weeks, Joe Girardi said.

Posada suffered the injury when a foul ball hit him on the top of the foot on Sunday night. Still, he says it’s the bottom of the foot that’s bugging him.

The Yankees certainly will call up a catcher tomorrow, but the question is who. The organization is filled with catching prospects, most notably Jesus Montero (AAA) and Austin Romine (AA), but also have 35-year-old veteran Chad Moeller sitting in Triple-A.

In the postgame press conference, Girardi didn’t shoot down the idea of bringing up Montero or Romine, which came as a big surprise to me since they’re both so young. I’m inferring this means all three will be considered for the spot. Here’s my breakdown:

Montero: He’s just 20 years old, but tore up Single- and Double-A last year at 19. This year with Scranton his bat is only starting to come around, but his defense is still lagging way behind his bat, which some scouts call the best in the minors. I’d rather wait to call up Montero, but I wouldn’t be furious if he got the call. He’ll only be a backup and perhaps pinch-hit duties for a few weeks.

Romine: The 21-year-old has a much better glove than Montero and is hitting great in Double-A. As a prospect, he isn’t on the same level as Montero, but there’s always a chance the scouts overlooked him. After all, look at Cervelli! He was called up from Double-A last year and is hitting .400 now. Once again, he’d only be a backup for a few weeks so I wouldn’t mind him getting the call.

Moeller: He can’t hit in the majors. He can’t even hit in Triple-A, but he has 1,524 major league plate appearances, which is exactly 1,524 more than Romine and Montero have combined. He plays solid defense and that’s what all teams ask for in a backup. After allowing six steals in one night, I’m ready for a defensive catcher to step in behind the dish. He’s the guy I’d call.

Yankees minor league prospects update

While the Yankees are battling for tops in the AL East, prospects in Double-A and Triple-A are looking to show they are ready to compete at the big league level.

With Juan Miranda called up yesterday, the Yankees have now promoted seven players five weeks into the season. The farm system always makes an impact on the parent club because every team has to battle injuries and cold streaks.

Here’s an update on some of the top hitting and pitching prospects in the top levels of the organization.

Triple-A: Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees 
Jesus Montero C: Montero is far and away the Yankees top prospect, as some scouts ranked him the best hitter in the entire minor leagues heading into the year. Sadly for him, he hasn’t quite lived up to the high bill. He currently owns a .233/.295/.359 hitting line with just two homers and 13 RBIs in 103 at-bats. He also was benched last weekend for not running out a groundball. I don’t think it could get any worse for the 20-year-old catcher, who is yet to prove he can play the field at a high enough level.

Mark Melancon RHP: Melancon was called up in the beginning of May, but only for one less-than-spectacular performance. But he has continued to thrive in Scranton, posting a 4-1 record, a 3.00 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in 21 innings. Jon Albaladejo is having a great year so far, better than Melancon’s, but Melancon is still the much better prospect.
Full Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Triple-A stats here.

Double-A: Trenton Thunder 
Austin Romine C: Romine, another good catching prospect, came out to a roaring start for the Thunder in 2010. At one point he rode a 16-game hitting streak to a .337 BA, but has slowed down a little bit to a .304/.377/.480 line. He’s known more for his defense, but it’s great to see his production and percentages improve. If Montero gets promoted at some point this season, Romine will surely be his replacement at Triple-A.

David Phelps RHP: Despite not being ranked in the top 10 of any well-known Yankee prospect lists, Phelps has been the Thunder’s top starter by a long shot. In the Eastern League, known for its quality pitching prospects, Phelps currently ranks second in ERA at a miniscule 1.60 tagged with a 0.98 WHIP. Since you probably haven’t heard of him, his arsenal features a low 90s fastball and a curveball. Here’s a link to a video of his windup.
Full Double-A stats here.

High-A: Tampa Yankees stats here.
Low-A: Charleston RiverDogs stats here.
(All of the used stats are prior to action on 5/14.)

Yankees notes on Mauer, lineup, rotation, Robertson

It was a pretty slow Thursday in Yankee Country. Colin Curtis’s second three-run homer of the spring anchored the Yankees over the Rays, 6-4. Chan Ho Park made his spring debut, pitching a perfect fifth inning.

Here are some interesting news items from today:

• The reigning AL MVP doesn’t know where he’ll be in 2011. Joe Mauer is negotiating with the Twins, but the parties don’t seem to be getting close to an extension. The Yankees, and the rest of baseball, are keeping their ears open.
  
  As The Chuck Knoblog said, I think Mauer should be a Twin for life. He’s homegrown, he’s 26 years old and he’s already the face of the franchise and maybe all of baseball.
  
  Also, the Yankees have plenty of catchers in their system. No, there’s no guarantee any of them will become major league starters, but I’d like to give Jesus Montero and Austin Romine a chance before making a gigantic financial investment.
  
• Craig Calcaterra reveals an interesting study about the Yankees lineup from an ESPN blog. Here’s the optimal lineup, according to Sky Kalkman:
  
  1. Nick Johnson
  2. Mark Teixeira
  3. Curtis Granderson
  4. Alex Rodriguez
  5. Robinson Cano
  6. Derek Jeter
  7. Nick Swisher
  8. Jorge Posada
  9. Brett Gardner
  
  Yeah. Right.
  
• Joe Girardi said he’d like to have the fifth starter decided on by next Thursday or Friday, according to Tyler Kepner of the NY Times. The Yankees brass plan to meet this weekend to discuss the rotation.
  
  That gives Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain one more audition — maybe two — to fight for the job. My gut says Phil Hughes gets it.
  
• Mark Feinsand of the Daily News featured the Yankees’ bright young reliever, Dave Robertson. Feinsand relates Robertson to Mariano Rivera, and Rivera says he loves Robertson’s willingness to learn to learn.

Kevin Lawn Award Winners announced

The Yankees announced this year’s Kevin Lawn Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year as Austin Romine and Zach McAllister, respectively.

From the press release:

The annual awards are dedicated to Kevin O'Brien Lawn, the son of longtime Yankees Vice President and Chief of Operations Jack Lawn, who passed away in 1999.

Montero upped to Scranton, Romine to Trenton

Jesus Montero will start the 2010 with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as the full-time catcher and Austin Romine will begin the year with Trenton, said Yankees vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman this afternoon.

Thanks Mark! Apparently he heard I was interested where all four catching prospects would start next year.

Some believe his glove isn’t ready for Triple-A, but surely his bat is. He combined for 17 HR and 70 RBI with a .337 BA for Tampa and Trenton last year. A lot of people are excited to see this guy climb through the minor leagues, one being me. Keep this in mind:

He threw out 31.8 percent of base runners in Trenton, which is pretty solid and much better than the 12.5 percent he threw out in the first half of the season in Tampa. – Chad Jennings

Does Montero take over for Francisco Cervelli as the Yankees backup catcher by the end of the year? Maybe. I’d say 30 percent chance.

Blue Jays want Montero in Halladay deal

What I’ve feared most has finally become reality.

According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees remain in the hunt for Roy Halladay “because the Blue Jays covet prospect Jesus Montero.”

If you’ve been following, I’ve been saying all along that I’d approve a deal for Halladay under two conditions.

1. The Yankees keep Montero.
2. The Yankees deal either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain — not both.

Based on this report, it looks like the only way the Yankees are going to acquire Halladay is by parting with Montero. That’s why I say, it’s time for the Yankees to PULL OUT (like Tiger)!

Why am I clinging to Montero so tightly? He’s one of the best hitting prospects in the minor leagues, and he plays at the most valuable defensive position (catcher). His catching skills need some work, but everyone needs to realize he is only 20 years old. He certainly has time to develop his catching skills.

This brings me to another point, Austin Romine. If you don’t know who he is, he’s also a catcher for Double-A last year with Montero. At the moment, he possesses a better glove than Montero, but doesn’t nearly have the same bat. I’d prefer to keep both catching prospects, but if I had to risk moving one of them, I’d definitely try and sell Romine.

Move Posada to DH in 2010?

Heck no. But Yankees blog Was Watching makes a case for Jorge Posada DH-ing in 2010.

The first thing I thought when I heard the idea was, “Who’s gonna catch?” The article gave a vague response:

Who will catch if Posada is the D.H.? Well, here, you have to get creative. Whether it’s signing someone under the radar like David Ross…meaning getting someone with better catching skills than Posada but with a bat that won’t kill you like Jose Molina…or, swinging a trade for someone like Ryan Doumit…meaning someone who is not terrible behind the plate and who has some potential offensive upside…the Yankees have to do something here.

Hmm. Trading for someone with sub-par defensive skills, like Posada, is not the answer I was looking for at all. Here’s my case:

• The Yankees seemed to be just fine with Posada behind the dish in 2009, as they all wound up with World Series rings.
• Posada’s value as a catcher is extremely high because of his great production at the plate, something hard to find in the majors outside of Joe Mauer.
• Any DH the Yankees go with in 2010, even Juan Miranda, is a better hitter than Jose Molina or David Ross.
• Posada isn’t so awful that teams run on him non-stop. As long as a catcher has a bat to back up mediocre catching, he benefits the team.
• Most importantly, the Yankees finally do have the catching prospects to take over for Posada with Austin Romine and Jesus Montero. They already made the mistake of trading Dioner Navarro, so I have a feeling the Yankees will try and keep both of their new prospective catchers of the future.
 

Please, feel free to defend Was Watching. I’d love to hear some counter-arguments.