Five questions with Austin Romine
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Mar 22, 2010 
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When the Yankees reassigned their top two prospects to minor league camp on Sunday, Austin Romine was the other guy. Overshadowed by Jesus Montero, Romine has quietly become another of the top catching prospects in baseball. That’s why this Q&A started with a question I never thought I’d ask a guy who won his league’s MVP award last season.
Do you think your offense is sometimes overlooked? People tend to make a big deal of the fact that you’re the guy here who can handle the position defensively.
Romine: I do, I think my hitting gets overlooked a little bit, but how can it not behind Montero? That guy’s a freak at the plate. But I like to think that I take a lot of pride in my hitting. Every year I set the bar. I want to hit .300. I want to hit a little bit more home runs, have a little bit more RBIs. I do take a lot of pride in my hitting, and I want them to think a little bit higher of me. I can hit, and I’m going out to do it every year.
Is it a good or a bad thing knowing that Jesus gets so much of the attention?
Romine: I don’t mind it at all. I’ve always been under the radar and I prefer that. I don’t need anything of the focus. I don’t mind it, but I’m a humble guy. I don’t need cameras and stuff in my face. Just stay under the radar, do my work, work hard, and I’ll get a shot hopefully. And when I do I’ll be ready. I’ve been under the radar for three years already.
In an organization that has so much catching, do you sense that as long as you do your thing, it’s going to work out?
Romine: Exactly. It’s pretty spaced out. We’ve got a lot of good young catchers, from an organization that a couple of years ago had nothing to having a lot right now. There’s nothing you can do. If you don’t do well, then obviously they’re going to pass you and it’s going to take care of itself. All I can do is keep going out and doing the same thing I do every year. Put up good numbers. Handle the staff. Get wins for the team. That’s all I’m really worried about, winning and getting better every year, and I think I have.
What were you able to take from big league camp?
Romine: Just work ethic. These guys show you what it takes to get there and stay there. When they get here they don’t just shut it down and coast because they know that there are 120 kids across the street who want their job. There are a lot of veterans in here who have many years of experience, and they still work harder than anybody I know. It instills that work ethic in you that you still have to work hard, even when you get there.
Do you look at the future? Posada has one year left in his contract, and that seems to line up pretty perfectly for you.
Romine: It’s hard not to think about it when you’ve got eight thousand people telling you the exact same thing you just said. It’s hard not to, but when you start thinking about the future, you’re not really in the present, and I like to live in the present. This pitch. This second. This minute. You have to focus on that day because something could happen, God forbid, and that could be your last game. Then you have to sit there and wonder if you gave it your best, or if you were just waiting for something to happen in the future. I don’t want to be that guy waiting for something to happen.
Sounds like a great kid!
The Yankees are very fortunate to have not 1 but several great catching prospects and two close to the big leagues. Some organizations (Red Sox) would love to just have one. I was really impressed with both Montero and Romine.
Does anyone think Austin could hit for power in the ml?
Chad, thanks!
Austin seems like such a good kid; I love the answer he gave to Chad’s last question in particular. I really hope they keep him even though Montero is probably going to stick at C.
Wow that’s a very good answer to the fifth question.
Fran, it’s been raining all freaking day here, lol.
Patrick, wasn’t it? He did fly under the radar here and he always will as long as Montero is ahead of him, but he sure has a good attitude about it all.
Romine seems legit as a player and person….
is this facebook login thing new…i miss my (OPPC) tag
m
“How often has Feinsand been wrong? Said he’d be shocked if Phil wasn’t named the 5th starter.”
If he is engaged in reporting, he is usually right. If he is offering his opinion, he is almost always wrong.
lol @ the freak comment. Nice to see that these guys are hungry (they know Posada won’t catch forever, haha) and willing to put in the work.
But how can you not with Pena & Girardi around?
___________________
Repost:
How often is Feinsand wrong? He said he’d be shocked if Phil wasn’t the #5 starter.
M, Feinsand is wrong a lot. You could call it an iffy outing, but it was not a BAD outing…This is a guy who thinks Phil’s temperment is best suited for the pen, so take what he says with a grain of salt. He’s a nice guy and the best baseball guy at the News, which says something about the quality of the News.
Rich,
You mean they’re not one and the same? :shocked:
“Does anyone think Austin could hit for power in the ml?”
Of course.
Haven’t you heard of Austin’s Power ?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03.....ref=sports
Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to meet on Friday with federal investigators who want to know about his interactions with Anthony Galea, the Canadian-based doctor whose activities are being scrutinized by a number of federal agencies in the United States.
[...]
Last week, Rodriguez’s lawyers met with prosecutors from the United States attorney’s office in Buffalo, which is leading the Galea investigation, according to the two people briefed on the matter. Typically, lawyers use such meetings to learn what the authorities want to ask their client and if their client is being viewed by investigators as a subject of the inquiry or a witness.
Ooops, I cut off the most important part:
The authorities told Rodriguez’s lawyers that they see him as a witness, the two people said.
Betsy,
I figured you would like this:
Phil Hughes on his spring: “I feel like I’ve worked hard to get myself to this point where I can be a successful starter. I feel like my changeup has come a long way, and if I go to the bullpen or Triple-A, I feel like that’s another big weapon for me and I’ll be able to use it. I’ve kind of learned around here just to roll with the punches. What you say isn’t going to affect anything. You just have to go out and do the best you can, and see what decisions come from it.”
“Romine: I do, I think my hitting gets overlooked a little bit, but how can it not behind Montero? That guy’s a freak at the plate.”
Yup ! A Superfreak. In fact he’s super freaky.
Nobody can touch dat.
Yanks are blessed to have 2 terrific catching prospects like Romine and Montero. That Cervelli kid aint exactly chopped proscuitto either.
I’m glad to see A Rod finaly has a date with the Feds. Let’s get this over with and move on.
Best Catching pipeline in the buisness.
Montero
Romine
Sanchez
Murphy
Etc.
Need I say more !
For some reason, the filter won’t let me post the link, but I like this:
Hughes said that he is a better pitcher than he was in 2007, when he had no cutter to turn to, and would take this version of himself over ’08, when he was essentially limited to throwing fastballs and curveballs coming off injury. He is stronger now and, as he said, “I feel like this is my time.”
**It’s from Bryan Hoch’s article on Yankees.com
He’s a very Freaky Backstop
The kind you don’t dare trade for Mauueeerr….
MTU – Kyle H.
From reports Murphy is kicking some butt so far in camp.
M, Phil has always had a great attitude; you can tell he wants to start, badly.
Overlooked today (in part because he had a rough outing), AJ was pleased with his changeup. He said he’s gaining more confidence in it……..and threw it even though it got hit occasionally. This is really going to help him…
CR9 – Thanks for the comment on the last thread.
For those who weren’t on the last couple of threads I posed the argument that if the plan with Joba is to stash him in the pen until Mo retires then it makes sense to trade Chamberlain.
There are those who will say – “Joba can pitch in the 7th and 8th just like Mo did for Wetteland” but you forget that Mo only did that for one year. The Yankees then let Wetteland walk and made Mo the closer. Is there anyone who thinks that the Yankees would tell Mariano Rivera to take a hike so that Joba can take over as closer? Mo’s going to be around for at least another couple of years. So what’s the endgame for Joba? Turn him into a glorified Aaron Heilman?
The Yankees right now have two guys in Robertson and Park who can both handle the 8th inning and a lot of young arms on the way who can also be phased into the pen. In the rotation, either Vazquez or Andy will likely be back and the other spot can be filled with a Free Agent (Cliff Lee) or another back end type prospect (Nova, McAllister, etc).
So why not explore a trade for Chamberlain while his value is still high, when teams can still look at him as either a closer or starter that has been mishandled by the Yankees. The Yankees could probably pry away a high impact outfielder like Matt Kemp, Carlos Gonzalez or Denard Span for him. To me, any one of those guys is more valuable to the Yankees long term and short term than an 8th inning reliever.
Drive, I completely agree on all counts.
It seems that Young Master Hughes knows to say all the correct things….It must have been the Finishing School his parents sent him when he was just a lad……Nick in SF went to the same Etiquette school as the Young Master back in their Preparatory days……Such fine lads they are
randy l.
… the word was that players felt uncomfortable in the Yankees’ clubhouse because the specter of the four rings was casting such a giant shadow.
“i could see that would be a problem if the yankees were trying to get hobbits to play for them, but i think sabathia cared more about the 161 million the yankees dangled in front of him.”
Then why did he take so much time to accept the Yankees’ $161m offer, and why did he specifically ask Cash to come to his house so that he could ask him those questions?
Five-
Some of these guys are destined to be converted to other positions.
I thought I heard that Murphy might be a good candidate ?
I just watched highlights of Phil’s K’s today and, boy, did he throw some beautiful change-ups; I hadn’t seen them until now. Very sweet.
* Jason Bartlett is one of three Filipinos currently playing in the majors. The others are Tim Lincecum and Geno Espineli of the Giants.
Totally random fact from The Bats Blog.
Also, I must apologize for Dane Sardinha’s awesomeness today.
Joba’s value is way off its peak. It would be foolish to trade him now.
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.....8;c_id=nyy
Pat m,
With apologies to SJ, I still crack up about that whole episode.
Boy was I steamed that night, though.
Joba’s value is way off its peak. It would be foolish to trade him now.
Rich – agreed that he’s not as valuable as he once was; but do you believe his value will increase or decrease the longer he pitches in the 8th inning rather than as a starter or closer?
LOL Pat M – Phil will always be known as Young Master Phil, even when he’s about 40. Did Phil and Nick have to walk with books on their heads in order to achieve perfect posture?
Chip…..Yanks would be crazy to trade off Joba Chamberlain…..He maybe trying to find his way from Limbo, but there’s still a massive upside with him once he emerges from the fog…..I personally think the pen would assist him in repeating his mechanics to the tune of 3-4 times a week…..They have to revisit his starting possibilities for 2011, unless the club really sees him replacing Rivera on a gradual basis…..Chip, there’s few Joba arms in baseball…..It’s all the moving parts in the package is the concern
My point is why not utilize what value he has left by getting a young, cost controlled, impact outfielder?
My point is why not utilize what value he has left by getting a young, cost controlled, impact outfielder?
Chip
I think it’s more likely than not that it will increase if his average FB velo is > 95 and his slider has the tilt that it did in ’07-’08. I am willing to take the chance that it will.
But unlike you, I wouldn’t trade him unless I was overwhelmed, in which case, there is no one I wouldn’t trade.
Chip…..Yanks would be crazy to trade off Joba Chamberlain…..He maybe trying to find his way from Limbo, but there’s still a massive upside with him once he emerges from the fog…..I personally think the pen would assist him in repeating his mechanics to the tune of 3-4 times a week…..They have to revisit his starting possibilities for 2011, unless the club really sees him replacing Rivera on a gradual basis…..Chip, there’s few Joba arms in baseball…..It’s all the moving parts in the package is the concern
Pat – if Joba moves to the pen now he’s not coming back out of it. They aren’t going to go through the process of stretching him out again a year from now.
Also, there will be two spots open in the rotation next year – likely either Javy or Andy will be brought back and the Yankees could turn to one of the top FA’s (Beckett or Lee) to fill the other spot or move in another prospect who is stretched out to start.
I don’t think there is any way the Yankees trade Joba; they’re not going to want to see him turn into a star under another team’s auspices. Phil and Joba are safe, IMO.
Chip
Another $16-$20m per long-term for yet another pitcher in or entering his 30s, who they could end up overpaying in their decline phase?
We need more young, cost-controlled starters.
I think it’s more likely than not that it will increase if his average FB velo is > 95 and his slider has the tilt that it did in ‘07-’08. I am willing to take the chance that it will.
Rich – I’m sure his velocity will increase. Rather than pacing himself for 5 innings he will be allowed to just let it rip for 1 inning.
I’m not saying that Joba’s not a high upside pitcher – but if the Yankees are going to use him in the 8th inning for the next 2 or 3 years then I think that’s a waste.
Rich in NJ
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Chip
Another $16-$20m per long-term for yet another pitcher in or entering his 30s, who they could end up overpaying in their decline phase?
————————
Rich –
Entering 30s is not the “declining phase”
I agree that young, cost controlled starters are a premium commodity, but I don’t think that if he’s moved to the pen now that Joba will ever be stretched out to be a starter again.
Chip
Mo may be an extreme outlier, but that can’t go on forever. At the very least, Joba is Mo-insurance. At the most, he is a member of the rotation, this year or next.
Oh btw, Chip, the decline phase part refers to the later part of the long-term contract.
If the Yankees could get Matt Kemp for Joba I would do that in a second and never look back.
Unfortunately, there is no way Joba could net you Kemp right now.
Just some information not related to who is named the 5th starter, for those interested in following the 2009 WS Champion players now on other teams:
Player Team G AB H OBP SLG AVG
A Jackson DET 15 44 15 .420 .568 .341
J Dammon DET 11 30 10 .412 .680 .333
Melky ATL 15 40 12 .378 .350 .300
E. Hinske ATL 14 26 11 .515 .462 .423
H. Matsui LAA 9 22 4 .280 .182 .182
J Hairston SDP 10 25 10 .467 .680 .480
I get that ST numbers don’t count for anything, but there was something special about last years squad that the new nominees will have to hustle to match. (Sorry that the columns don’t line up perfectly)
Young Master Joba will go back into the rotation next year when Pettitte retires. By then, Hughes would have established himself as a 13-15 game winner and we can absolve Joba’s growing pains better
Joba needs a year in the pen to straighten out his mechanics and get his velo. back.
Romine needs to walk more. His OBP has sucked.
How does Jerry Hairston have a .480 average, yet only a .467 OBP?
Ah yes, the immortal Eric Hinske and Jerry Hairston Jr, who we traded for, and could probably just trade for again.
“Romine needs to walk more. His OBP has sucked.”
Agree.
“How does Jerry Hairston have a .480 average, yet only a .467 OBP?
Sorry, typo AVG = .400
A-Rod to meet with Feds on Friday.
I think whether Phil or Joba ends up in the pen to start this season, they have every intention of stretching either one back out again because they do see the upside of both.
Soriano once had a higher BA than OBP for most of a season in NY… I heard it referred to as “a stat geek’s wet dream.”
I prepped on the Upper West Side, far from the riding academies and polo fields that Young Master Philip knew.
With Javy and CC pitching Wed & Thu, one would consider the tryout period over.
If it’s really just between Joba and Phil, it’s Phil in a landslide.
Mitre’s actually had the best Spring. And Joe really likes him.
But this decision affects so much more than who is going to be the # 5 to start the season.
Who’s the best fit for 2010 and who works better with regards to the future of the team are just not the same.
Phil,
IF they send Joba to the pen, then I could see them using the possibility as a selling point.
Of course, it would be a back-handed sales job. “See? Hughesy (ugh) pitched out of the bullpen, but he’s a starter this year.” :awkward:
“Then why did he take so much time to accept the Yankees’ $161m offer, and why did he specifically ask Cash to come to his house so that he could ask him those questions?”
rich in nj-
just like i don’t get posada bashing, i don’t get torre bashing.
torre’s teams have made it to the playoffs for 14 straight years.
is there anyone on the yankees who have done that?
oh.
“is there anyone on the yankees who have done that?”
a monkey can manage this franchise and get it to the postseason. when you have such a payroll/talent disparity over other teams, it really isin’t that difficult.
Torre was great in the beginning, then lost it.
Even the biggest Torre fans can’t ignore all the negative fodder that has come out since he left about how bad the clubhouse was and stuff like not telling Jeter about his defense despite orders from the front office.
It was clearly time for a change and the stuff that has been revealed in the past year proves it.
Nick in SF….My Grandparents used to live on 76th and Riverside Drive….Spent many summer weeks there as a kid…..Palisades Park was right across the Hudson….
I do not think Torre should be immune from bashing after The Yankee Years
Ken_Rosenthal If Yankees release Gaudin, they would owe him one-fourth of his non-guaranteed $2.95M salary – $737,500.
Randy I….I refuse to even respond to those who cheap shot Jor Torre…There’ll be a time when maybe they’ll rethink this when he enter the Hall as a Yankee and his # 6 is retired….One thing is certain, the Yanks didn’t make the postseason the year after he left……He gets the heat, while the front office gets a pass for all the rubbish they handed him to manage…..
Torre had plenty of talent to work with.
Girardi lost Wang, Posada, Hideki, Joba + for large chunks of the season.
I don’t know why it’s such a crime that we missed the playoffs.
m, think of all the dead arms that were propped up as starters after the 03 season……The pen was a junk pile….It was amazing that they even had the October runs they did after 03…..
Pat,
True. But at least they got to the post-season, right?
Joba’s midges game was Torre’s Waterloo.
And not protecting Jeter & Alex. And not insisting his pitchers pitch inside.
I think Girardi’s youth and energy serves this team well. Pushing his players to be better. Who made moose pitch inside? Girardi-that’s who.
Torre was a very good manager, but most coaches come with an expiration date.
“I do not think Torre should be immune from bashing after The Yankee Years”
Ding ding ding!
“One thing is certain, the Yanks didn’t make the postseason the year after he left”
They were 89-73. That’s actually better than the 2000 Yankees, and better than Torre’s Dodgers that year. Four teams in the 2008 AL East would have outright won the 2008 NL West.
Torre is a Hall of Fame manager who was given very good teams that sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed. Sometimes he made great decisions. Sometimes he made awful decisions that worked. Sometimes he made awful decisions that didn’t work. I don’t think there’s a manager in the game that’s an exception to that.
oh, but publishing The Yankee Years was an awful, awful move, especially while he’s still actively managing and a large part of his managing style was based around “trust”
randy
“just like i don’t get posada bashing, i don’t get torre bashing.”
Posada doesn’t deserve bashing. He has been one of the most underrated players of his generation.
As for Torre, as I said before, he is like the rooster who took credit for the sunrise.
He made a significant contribution, but then he internalized the hype and became an egotistical monster that impeded the teams ability to win. He then had the temerity to trash the franchise that made him in order to sell a book and settle real or imagine slights.
If Torre is so great, why was his won-lost record below .500 before he was given the keys to a team that was ready to win?
It’s all about the talent.
Torre deserves the cheers for the good things he was responsible for but deserves the jeers for the things that weren’t so good.
Doesn’t seem many can find the middle ground between between sacred cow and rented mule with “Mr. T” right now.
Has relitigating Joe Torre come around again on LoHud’s Topic Wheel?
Opt out!
Torre definitely deserves jeers for publishing The Yankee Years
Interestingly, I believe Torre’s 1 year extension negotiations have tapered off. And I think it’s Torre who pulled the plug. He’ll be 70 this July.
He is going for a record 15 straight playoff appearances this season. Mattingly is waiting in the wings.
Who knows. Years down the road we could see Donnie take the reigns back in the Bronx.
Torre lost my respect when he wrote the book.
It was his prerogative, no doubt, but it’s my prerogative to think less of him for taking the low road.
The fact is, we wouldn’t have won the 4 championships if Torre wasn’t there.
Ken_Rosenthal
If Yankees release Gaudin, they would owe him one-fourth of his non-guaranteed $2.95M salary – $737,500
“The fact is, we wouldn’t have won the 4 championships if Torre wasn’t there.”
Fact? Heh.
“Who knows. Years down the road we could see Donnie take the reigns back in the Bronx.”
Dont’ know if we’d hire a manager who got fired by the Dodgers.
Rich,
That is hardly an exorbitant price to pay if they think Mitre is better or they want to take Logan/Melancon instead.
No reason to take Gaudin just because of his salary
Never a good idea to hire your franchise icon as manager. Don’t think Cashman would ever go that route.
Thames is very good friends with Granderson and has been a lefty masher in his career.
No reason why he shouldn’t make the team
Ken Rosenthal-mr. obvious there.
Mauer will end up on the Yankees in 2 or 3 years. Here’s what will happen: the Twins signed him but now will say they can’t afford anyone else. Morneau and everyone else will be allowed to walk away or get traded. Mauer will be unhappy with no other good players around him, Twins will be whining about the weight of the contract and Mauer will agree to a deal with the Yankees.
m
That’s just going to be the breaks for one of them to start the season. It’s not going to relegate either one of them to the bp for the rest of their careers.
I keep getting this “crimepack” threat blocked when I navigate around here today. I hope no one is getting it.
Torre at least made the playoffs every year. For Girardi, they had to sign up every free agent that was available. I don’t care how clutch A-Rod was, they don’t win it without buying CC and Teixeira.
Look at the 96 roster – pales in comparison to 2009. And the Yankees had the highest payroll in 96 but only by a few mil over Baltimore. Now, it is laughable how much more the Yankees spend than the next teams.
Rivera might have been traded were it not for Torre. He was one of the ones that talked Steinbrenner out of the deal. Jeter would have been sent back to the minors in 96 if it wasn’t for Torre fighting for him.
I can’t believe how unappreciative you people are of Torre, who had to try to win with Giambi and pavano his last few years.
Dont’ know if we’d hire a manager who got fired by the Dodgers.
—————————————————————
Why not?
I think every manager they’ve ever had was probably fired by another team at one point or another.
Billy Martin was fired 3 times before he managed the Yanks. The he got fired 5 times by Yanks. Somewhere in between he got fired by the A’s. He might have the record for firings.
Torre was fired by 3 teams before he was the Yanks manager.
Girardi was fired by the Marlins.
Even Yogi Berra got fired by the freakin Mets.
Showalter was never fired prior to managing the Yanks but got fired twice after.
They all get fired.
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.....8;c_id=nyy
Hughes 6 k’s
“Look at the 96 roster – pales in comparison to 2009.”
What you are overlooking is that the competition wasn’t nearly as strong in 1996. Subsequent CBAs have leveled the playing field.
“Rivera might have been traded were it not for Torre”
Nope. That was Stick, who also saved Bernie and Posada by lying to George.
“I can’t believe how unappreciative you people are of Torre”
I can’t believe how unappreciative Torre is of George.
Torre got lucky. The Yanks should have canned him after the 2001 series and certainly after losing to the Angels in 2002. He was a study in blooming ego and diminishing returns.
Sigh
I guess CC Sabathia having a 3 hour meeting with Cashman about why the Yankees clubhouse is poisonous isin’t a dead give away that Torre was a detriment in his final years.
Let’s hope that the Yankees have Romine behind the plate in 2012, backed up by Cervelli (who could have used another year in AAA) with Montero in right field. Altho’ I wouldn’t bet against Posada still being in the middle of things two years from now.
“Torre got lucky. The Yanks should have canned him after the 2001 series and certainly after losing to the Angels in 2002. He was a study in blooming ego and diminishing returns.”
I’m not a Torre cheerleader, but losing in 2001 wasn’t Torre’s fault. At least, he did nothing in that series to warrant a firing. 2002, too.
You can make a case that he made bad decisions that cost the Yankees in 2003 and especially 2004.
Torre can get away with subpar managing in the NL. When he faced a real team in the playoffs (Phillies), he was bounced megerly in 5 games, 2 years in a row…. listless performances that resemble his final 2 years here against the Indians and Tigers, Paul Byrd and Jeremy Bonderman shutting us down in an elimination game.
and who can forget the brilliance of batting our clean-up hitter 8th….
“Torre got lucky. The Yanks should have canned him after the 2001 series”
After 3 World Series wins in a row, 4 in 5 years, you thought Torre should be fired after 2001 because Mariano Rivera through a ball into CF in the 9th inning of Game 7 on the road?
“Look at the 96 roster – pales in comparison to 2009. And
the Yankees had the highest payroll in 96 but only by a few mil over Baltimore. Now, it is laughable how much more the Yankees spend than the next teams.”
Some of the “pale” people who were on the Yankees in the late 90′s and are still on the team now make about $60 million more now than they did then. Doesn’t seem fair to hold longevity against them.
My only real knock on Joe was when he elected to have Wang start in Cleveland rather than at The Stadium…..Wang was so good at home that season and so poor on the road that season……The gants, the umpire crew were as guilty if not more than Joe…..04 they were lucky to get as far as they did with a tattered rotation and a very thin and worn out bullpen…..05 Bubba Crosby bangs into Sheffield and they lose to the Angels….It all fairness, those Yankee clubs had many flaws that were exposed in the playoffs…..He was the toast of the town at one time, now he’s much maligned by many which is sad in a way, and unfair to say the least
We should hook up Romine (even Montero..) with Yogi and have him tell him about how he used to catch and play the outfield… maybe get them interested in doing both. Then, have them train with an outfielder… this way , they can both come up as catchers. When Romine catches, then Montero DH’s… when Montero catches, Romine plays outfield and lets a player who needs rest DH. If both can reach their potential, BIG IF, then this would be the ideal situation. Let them make it to the majors though before I start making these plans for them…
For discussion only, lets say they reach their potential… any problems with this plan?
ortforshort… why would you put Montero in the outfield. He’s Molina slow from what I heard.. would you put Molina in the outfield??? Why would you put a combo of Cerveli/Romine at catcher, when Montero/Romine would be MUCH MUCH more valuable?
Pat M
“…..He was the toast of the town at one time, now he’s much maligned by many which is sad in a way, and unfair to say the least”
Why is it unfair? It’s more a case of definition, rather than defamation, of character. It’s not as if Torre hasn’t gotten more than his share of the credit from most people, and more than his share of the money, far more than Stick will ever see, and but for Stick, there would be no rings.
As for 2004, he used an already overused Tom Gordon with a NINE run lead in Game 3. That was unconscionable and counterproductive.
What isn’t fair is to fail to provide some balance to the Torre mythology.
I know this is blasphemy. But what makes people think that Donnie would make a good manager? He seems so docile to me. New York just might eat him up.
m, I love Don Mattingly…In his first game as Dodger Mgr. ( while Torre and an assembled team was in China, Mattingly was dinged for having a batter hitter out of order, in the first inning……Rich in NJ, There is enough blame to go beyond Torre and his use of a pen that was on fumes…..Rivera had give away games, it really was a cause of so many fissures in the clubs foundation that by thin October rolled around they were surfacing…..The only hope was sweeping out the BoSox and rest up for very beatable St. Louis ball club…..
becca,
He left the infield pulled in behind Mo. I trust you remember what happened as a result. That was a crucial tactical error. Those of us who were with the Yanks through the Martin years, couldn’t believe that didn’t get him fired. Dick Howser got fired because his third base coach waived Willie Randolph around only to get thrown out in a playoff series.
I know this post started with Austin Romine….I got to see him play quite a lot during his time at El Toro HS…..He was drafted because of his outstanding stick, which led to bullet line drives to all fields,,,He had hone runs but he more a gap hitter back then…..Greta arm slow feet, but at the HS level he still jut gunned guys down,,,,,,Higgy from Huntington Beach is the quiet catching prospect to watch……..
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NG
Whatever happened to Josh Thompson?
This year’s team ???
CC
AJ
AP
JV
PH
Mo
JC
Marte
D-Rob
Aceves
Park
Mitre
Jeter
NJ
Tex
A-Rod
Cano
Posada
Grandy
Swish
GGBG
Winn
Thames
Cervelli
Pena
Sierchio, I don’t have a problem with that. I think one guy needs to be the primary catcher, but I think it would work. I don’t think Montero can play the OF, but GB seems to think Romine could.
Carl, Phil threw some gorgeous change-ups, didn’t he?
I’m sorry, lol. I love AJ, but this is hilarious:
http://img340.yfrog.com/img340/1920/mms.gif
I think AJ was aiming for Billy the Marlin, lol…
Betsy – Romine wasn’t built in a day
March 23rd, 2010 at 8:19 am
I’m sorry, lol. I love AJ, but this is hilarious:
http://img340.yfrog.com/img340/1920/mms.gif
***************************
That’s classic
Erin, isn’t it? I still want to see a clip of AJ throwing that ball through the pickup truck’s window in 2001 (I think). I keep reading that they show it at every ballpark, but they don’t at Yankee Stadium, even though AJ asked them to reinstate it (they removed it when he signed).
Another catcher in the organization to watch is Jeff Farnham, a late round pick last year. Kid raked in his 3 weeks at Charleston after hitting well in the GCL. He is also considered a good defensive catcher with a strong arm.
New Post: Today in The Journal News
Looks like Yankees have some players to replace Posada whenever that will be. And I was so wrong about Joe Mauer, I thought for sure he would sign with either Boston or NY in the offseason. At least some other team is handing out a huge contract this time and we can continue to concentrate on signing free agent pitchers.
I just hope next year around this time we’re not hearing about a Montero/Romine competition for catcher on the MLB team.