Law: Montero and Banuelos among the elite prospects
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jan 27, 2011 
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For whatever reason, there’s been a lot of prospect stuff going on the past few days. Probably because it’s late January and there isn’t much else going on.
Today, Keith Law chimed in with his Top 100 list, and it’s much kinder to the Yankees than the MLB Network list was a few days ago.
Law lists Jesus Montero at No. 4, immediately behind the game’s trio of premier outfield prospects: Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Domonic Brown. In his evaluation, Law brings up the idea of immediately moving Montero away from the catcher position:
With a bat this potentially strong, why risk injury or give up the 20-25 games a year when your catcher has to rest? Montero could solve the Yankees’ DH problem for the next 10 years if they commit to it, a move they are unlikely to ever regret.
Law is also high on Manny Banuelos, who ranked 12th on this list, one spot ahead of the Blue Jays Kyle Drabek, two spots ahead of the Rays Jeremy Hellickson and three spots ahead of the Reds Aroldis Chapman. That’s impressive company.
Gary Sanchez, Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman all fell between 60 and 90 on Law’s list. Catcher Austin Romine was mentioned as one of the players who just missed the cut, with Law noting that he’s not completely sold on Romine’s bat and that he’s seen Romine struggle with “basic receiving tasks.”
Arodys Vizcaino — the young right-hander the Yankees lost in The Boone Logan Trade — made it just inside the top 50 at No. 47.
In his team-by-team rankings, Law shows some love for Graham Stoneburner, ranking him as the seventh-best prospect in the Yankees system, just ahead of Slade Heathcott and immediately behind Romine.
I’m keeping my eye on Stoneburner. He impressed me a great deal in the start I saw. Fast worker, strikes. I believe he had a one-hitter going and at one point struck out 7 in a row. I think he got into double digits overall, but don’t recall the exact number. Best pitching performance i’d ever seen at a minor league game.
The only good option this winter was to sign Lee. I don’t blame the Yanks for focusing on him, and I don’t blame them for not signing him. It just didn’t work out is all.
At this point the best choice is to go with Nova and the kids, and hope it works out or Andy comes back. I don’t feel super great about it, but I think rooting for the young guys will be fun.
On the Soriano opt-out front, since the opt-out is in Soriano’s sole control it doesn’t give the Yankee’s any flexibility at all. Unless by “flexibility” is meant the Yanks having a chance to get out from under that contract. But whether they’ll have anyone to replace So if he opts out will just be a matter of luck.
Having Baneulos ahead of Hellickson is some high praise for a 20 year old kid with limited time at AA….that velocity jump puts him in a different class if he can sustain it.
Against All Odds
I just feel that they keep throwing good money after bad.
Irabu,Jeff Weaver, Jose Contreras,Kevin Brown, Jaret Wright, Randy Johnson, Carl Povano, Javi Vasquez Twice some say AJ (I dont think so he can still pitch).
They have all struggled then.. You move on.
OHHH… and KEI IGAWA.. Now Bartolo Colon..
Im ready for the Future
The good think about Soriano’s opt out is that he would have to do it right away, meaning the Yankees would have all winter to replace him, and there will be a lot of closers/EIGs on the market, plus we may have someone step up from AAA, like Brackman.
# sportsvoiceinmyhead January 27th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Against All Odds
I just feel that they keep throwing good money after bad.
Irabu,Jeff Weaver, Jose Contreras,Kevin Brown, Jaret Wright, Randy Johnson, Carl Povano, Javi Vasquez Twice some say AJ (I dont think so he can still pitch).
They have all struggled then.. You move on.
OHHH… and KEI IGAWA.. Now Bartolo Colon..
Im ready for the Future
———————-
I’m ready for the future too but I know that if those kids stumble they’ll pull the plug and back on vets again. It’s what they always do.
RiverAveBlues DYK: The Yanks are 1272-830 under Brian Cashman, and only twice have they won fewer than 94 games during his tenure.
cgrand14 Granderson gets rugby wish – Rugby Union – Sportal New Zealand http://fb.me/CDIaLn4T
I’m ready for the future too but I know that if those kids stumble they’ll pull the plug and back on vets again. It’s what they always do.
___
Yeah because if they lose, 50% of the fanbase freaks out. So they dont have a choice, but to try to fill the holes if the kids struggle.
‘Damn iPad. It’s “Beckett” and not “Bucket”. ‘
sj44-
i’m laughing because i’m still trying to get the hang of one too. even on my mackbook pro with ” correct spelling automatically” i get some very weird sentences. that’s how i got” barstool colon” yesterday.
they really need to get flash on the next ipad.
# ac1 January 27th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
I’m ready for the future too but I know that if those kids stumble they’ll pull the plug and back on vets again. It’s what they always do.
___
Yeah because if they lose, 50% of the fanbase freaks out. So they dont have a choice, but to try to fill the holes if the kids struggle.
————————————————–
True but they freak out as well. It goes both ways.
*bank* on vets
mick January 27th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
Everybody is pencilling in the Phillies to go to the WS but , all things being equal, they still have to go through that Giant pitching staff.
Even if they had lee last year, they would not have beaten the Giants
—————————————————————————————————
What about Worth, how do/did they plan on replacing his big bat?
Ledger_Yankees RT @IamYankee3971: @Ledger_Yankees @dougsfc97 How many every day players have the Yankees developed since ’98?
__
People are just so dumb. To name just a few: Hughes, Joba, Robertson, Gardner, Cano, Wang (WAS), A-Jax (Det).
All developed in the NYY minors. And a bunch right around the corner.
For those of you into Twitter wars, check out Antonio Cromartie v. Matt Hasselback.
“Nasty” is an understatement!
Nick Swisher is on with Mike Francessa now if anyone is interested.
Cromartie is nasty in any situation. 9 kids, 8 women, can’t even remember their names. Class act all the way.
“that’s how i got” barstool colon” yesterday.”
Please, no more name-calling of Yankee players.
ac1 January 27th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Think about it the Red Sox 5 are not a sure thing, but they had a bad year and were able to give too great young pitchers a chance in Lester and Buchholz. If Andy retires (I hope he does not). I rather have Nova and fill in the blank for 4th and 5th starts. Than Colon, Bonderman,, pick a tired old pitcher… fill in the blank.
50% of the Fan base is fake anyway.
Swish with Mike.
Funny how opposites like O’Neill and Swish can both become iconic in NY.
I love Nick Swisher! He is awesome
every other word out of his mouth is “Man.”
Manny Banuelos has that monterey , mexico heritage going for him too :
this is a photo of the famous little league team that won the little league world series 50 years ago in yankee stadium getting talked to by casey stengel
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/…..-Game.html
manny banuelos may be the next famous pitcher from there. the little kid that pitched a perfect game for monterrey was a national hero.
You don’t get extra credit points, or wins, for “developing your own”.
They have won 4 WS since 1998.
If that’s not good enough for some, root for the Royals.
The ironic part of the complaint is, over 30% of the roster is homegrown each year.
That’s more than some teams have who devote their entire existence to homegrown development.
# SJ44 January 27th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Damn iPad. It’s “Beckett” and not “Bucket”.
—————————————————————-
LOL. Now I get why you keep posting A’s instead of as.
try this one:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/.....-Game.html
# ac1 January 27th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Cromartie is nasty in any situation. 9 kids, 8 women, can’t even remember their names. Class act all the way.
——————————
Wasn’t there a report that HBO told him to slow down, don’t rush through the names, etc. I think it came out a day or two after the ep. aired. Maybe that was just to save face who knows.
Anybody care to recap Swisher’s interview for those of us stuck at work???
Yeah…but you can just feel his enthusiasm. By no means the most talented player on the Yankees roster but God – and Yanks fans – just love a tryer.
Line of the day from someone on ProFootballTalk.com……..
“To Cromartie, CBA stands for, Condom Broke Again”!
Jeter’s beautiful girlfriend, Miss Minka Kelly, is slated to star in an ABC Charlie’s Angels reboot. If anyone’s interested…
http://tinyurl.com/4m77yat
they showerd the whole thing online. it took him a long time and many stumbles to get through the names. really sad.
Where is it said that Keith Law is the be all – end all voice of talent judgement ?
Furthermore, how can he possibly criss-cross the country and spend enough time visibly watching talent in various situations and locations ? Does he wear a cape ? Every team has at least 5 classifications of minor league baseball plus colleges and Latin baseball academies as streams of talent.
In actuality he relies on scouting reports from multiple sources.
“Please, no more name-calling of Yankee players.”
nick in sf-
i’m not saying he’s fat, but “barstool”colon is the only yankee in two time zones .
they showerd the whole thing online. it took him a long time and many stumbles to get through the names. really sad.
This is SHOWED by the way. long day.
rodg-you beat me!! I was just about to post that article about Minka. lol
Erin,
Work? Anyway Swisher is getting an award at the Thurman Munson dinner next week. Mrs. Munson loves him and his exuberance and the way he interacted with players during Old Timer’s Day.
He has 4 dogs-they rescued 2 last week.
He loves NY and the fans and wouldn’t go anywhere else. Looking forward to the season and to the challenges by Boston and Texas improving.
Ready for a half hour of Robbie tonight?
“They have won 4 WS since 1998….”
True, but at some point we are going to have to quit including 1998-2000 within our end dates. There are dirty-faced little 10 year olds alive today who have only seen the Yanks win one WS.
Does that mean Colon has to call Iceland twice to find out what time the next sunrise is?
Thanks Fran!! Yes, work. lol We only got one or two inches of snow this morning.
Sadly, I have to wait until they put the Robbie special online since I’m out of market.
They had better post it ASAP!! That’s the first thing I’m going to look for when I get up tomorrow.
I think if they had made the ipad just a little longer then it would have been easier to type …as it is its just a fraction too smalls to type conventionally on it. Of course making it bigger has drawbacks as well I guess. I have the keyboard that you can dock it on which is nice but you can’t really carry that around with you.
# ac1 January 27th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
they showerd the whole thing online. it took him a long time and many stumbles to get through the names. really sad.
This is SHOWED by the way. long day.
—————————————-
Point Taken
It’s been a long day for all of us lol.
“Does that mean Colon has to call Iceland twice to find out what time the next sunrise is?”
colon has no interest in iceland.
if he stood on one side of the island the whole thing would tip into the sea.
Hey, I liked Boomer.
Greatest. Sports. Twitter. War. Ever.
And why NFL owners are laughing their butts off today.
The players (sadly) have no chance at unity with their inability to muzzle a clown like Cromartie.
‘Boone Logan trade’….funny…
Haha Cromartie said to Hasselback, “i will smash ur face in”
Erin, sure they’ll post it quickly. Glad you didn’t get too much snow. I think it all came here.
Haha Cromartie said to Hasselback, “i will smash ur face in”
___
Tim Hasselbeck should be careful, because this clown can’t even keep his own family straight much less remember who he is threatening.
Off topic, but amusing:
TylerKepner Check out Clemens. Also I love how Mike Seaver and Webster coordinated RT @mental_floss Reagan With Various ’80s Celebs http://bit.ly/fwVMZW
JackCurryYES I will be on ESPN 1050 with Michael Kay at 3:45 to talk about Getting To Know Cano, our YES special
:jealous:
Charlie’s Angels again?
I guess now Jeter can rib ARod about it. You’re with the old Angel and I’m with the new.
Who’s’ playing Bosley?
Bronx Jeers January 27th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Charlie?s Angels again?
I guess now Jeter can rib ARod about it. You?re with the old Angel and I?m with the new.
Who?s? playing Bosley?
*******************************
I didn’t even think about the old/new angel thing! lol
I don’t think they’ve gotten too far in the casting process yet re: Bosley.
Two things struck me in this post.
1) Brian Cashman traded a top-50 prospect (according to Law) for Javier Crapzquez.
2) That trade was SO pathetic, we are now, at least on this blog, referring to it as “the Boone Logan trade.”
Sure don’t recall Logan being the headliner when Cashman made that deal.
Is this the real SJ that’s on the blog today?
1-2 sentence quips at NFL players? I haven’t seen SJ this jovial since….well never.
Happy to see u back on the blog & in good spirits. How’s the nephew btw?
With all the Cash-bashing going on on this blog, just curious as to what GMs people perceive as being better than Cashman?
Wren? Beane? Dare I say Epstein? Amaro?
Nephew is doing well Joey.
In good shape, just finished his daily hitting session, and will report early to ST late next week.
2) That trade was SO pathetic, we are now, at least on this blog, referring to it as “the Boone Logan trade.”
____
When Vizcaino pans wins a Cy Young, then i will whine about that deal. We got Logan, he has been useful. Most people think Melky was not worth much anyway (i disagree), and Dunn hasn’t done anything.
You do realize Vizcaino has a ligament tear in his elbow?
Or are you so busy withnnamecalling of former Yankee players you missed that news.
Where’s Smoak on that list?
SJ Sanchez is 63.
Yankee Sanchez is right behind him at 67
In the decade 2000 through 2009, the Yankees played in 4 WS and won 2 of them In the decade 2000-2009, the Yankees missed the playoffs once.
Jeers,
I say that, thanks.
He gave him a fair assessment and hasn’t always been a fan.
I think seeing him play in the AFL turned him.
If there’s one thing this whole Lee ordeal will provide, it’s a lot of what-ifs and interesting “what could have been” discussions.
IMO, the biggest story won’t be the Yanks not getting Lee, it’ll be the Mariners taking Smoak over Montero.
I think Montero is going to be a GREAT hitter, a possibly generational talent for thr Yankees if he lives to his potential. Add the fact he is a catcher (whether he moves remains to be seen, but, today, he IS a catcher), I believe the M’s will regret taking a 1B
And, more importantly, the Yankees will count their stars that the deal fell through.
PS, I think the Phils win 1 with their SP’s. they have a 3 year window before that whole thing blows up.
Does anyone think the Blue Jays might be preparing to be sold, rather than preparing to complete?
Just had that thought a little while ago.
Didn’t their owner pass away?
***COMPETE, not complete.
Re: Stoneburner……
My nephew faced him a few times in college and last year in the FSL.
He said he is much better now than when he was at Clemson.
His slider has more tilt and his fastball is better.
However, the pitch that is really getting it done for him is his cutter.
He told me it was the best cutter he saw last season. Nasty action on it.
He’s a kid who could be an addition to the pen in the second half of the year if he keeps progressing.
I know a lot of folks on here hate on Law but he gave us our props today. In his chat he said this is the strongest he’s ever seen the Yankee farm system since he’s started doing this kind of prospect evaluation.
Beyond the 6 guys mentioned in his column he talked a bit about Jose Ramirez, JR Murphy, Cito Culver
Charlie’s Angels? Let it go already. I’ll be shocked if it makes it an entire season. It’ll die unless they go with the hot bodies over acting route.
Patrick, does Law like Ramirez and Culver? I believe he was one of those who completely trashed the Yankees for signing the latter……….
Javy was a good signing gone wrong – Cash seems to have the worst luck sometimes. No one was asking him to be CC; he just had to be solid………and he couldn’t do that. I really believe had Javy been solid, he would have been re-signed. Now watch him have a rebound year in Florida.
Why is Stoneburner looked at as merely a bullpen prospect? He sounds like he could start with the variety of pitches he has.
Re: good, not elite, stuff to get through a batting order three times.
Some scouts see him more as a back end bullpen guy with a nasty cutter and 92-94 MPH FB, if they want to put him back there.
Betsy,
I don’t know Law’s view of Culver. Just that he said Culver is a guy that could improve a lot in 2011 and show up on one of Law’s lists next year. He said it was tough leaving Ramirez off his Yankees top 10 list.
Stoneburner isn’t merely a bullpen prospect. He’s a possibility for the bullpen in 2011 but he’s a starter longterm
SJ, thanks ………..I haven’t heard one bad word about him, so whatever capacity he will pitch in, I hope he does well.
Patrick, thanks! I’d like to see Culver succeed for several reasons….one of which would be the egg on the faces of those who just crucified the Yankees. He’s obviously years away, but Jeter’s not going anywhere, so we can be patient with him
I wish we could fit all these kids in our rotation. I know some won’t work out, but it’s difficult to know which ones to cut ties with and trade for other assets and which ones to keep.
KLaw just said this about Stoneburner on Twitter FWIW….
keithlaw
Starter FB/CB and body with good command. RT @mrconti: @keithlaw tried to get this through in chat: where do you see Stoneburner? SP or RP?
thanks a lot erin
i’ve been taking brain tests after clicking on an ad on that link you provided.
my head hurts.
I didn’t say he was merely a bullpen prospect.
I know Law likes him as a starter.
Some scouts I know think he could be a very good closer.
The positive is, he’s yet another good arm in the system which gives the Yankees additional options.
Was trying to contradict you or anything, SJ. Just posting some info that I saw…
randy l. January 27th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
thanks a lot erin
i?ve been taking brain tests after clicking on an ad on that link you provided.
my head hurts.
*******************************
Sorry Randy.
There’s a 10 minute video of Graham Stoneburner pitching last year for Tampa on You Tube for anyone who is interested (just type his name in the “Search” field) … about 1/2 the video is of him warming up in the bullpen and the other 1/2 on the mound – his mechanics look really good .. very smooth and compact delivery. His delivery reminds me a little of David Robertson.
rodg12 and SJ44 that was my question to Law on Twitter. Like Doreen (I think it was her) I was at the game v. Blueclaws when he one-hit them and struck out about 10. Read somewhere, maybe Chad’s interview, that Newman said Stoneburner would have to pitch himself off SP. He looked really good and for a team that is pretty loaded with talent, the Blueclaws, that was an impressive performance.
He could move fast this year because of age and the league he played in college, ACC
“Sorry Randy.”
that’s ok erin
i’ll just take it easy and spend the rest of the night talking with gb7
yankee system is the best it has been in how long? 20 years?
anything on andy? read that another blog said he is coming back…
randy l. January 27th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
?Sorry Randy.?
that?s ok erin
i?ll just take it easy and spend the rest of the night talking with gb7
*******************************
Sounds like a plan.
Although, you should get him to take some of those tests-then you could spend all night arguing about who’s smarter.
Ledger_Yankees Jeter hit again today in Tampa with Kevin Long. They are focusing on the same changes they made together back in September
SJ–
Do you feel conflicted about having a nephew on the Pirates? Will you root for them now as well? What about when your nephew (God willing) is starting against the Yankees? I’ve always wondered how parents and relatives felt about these things.
He’s good.
I saw the two hitter he threw against Bradenton last year and I was really impressed.
It’s why I’m not as panicked as some others about the Yankees pitching situation.
Between Brackman, Nova, Noesi, Phelps, Warren, and Stoneburner, it’s almost impossible one or two guys minimum don’t emerge from that group to help the team in some capacity this year.
I’m not counting Banuelos and Betances because neither one of those guys will be ready this year.
Put it another way……..
If the Red Sox had 8 arms like the above guys at AA or higher, Gammons, BA, and ESPN would declare the Red Sox farm system the greatest ever.
BoJo,
No, because the Pirates represent an excellent opportunity for him to get to the majors quickly.
That’s what it’s all about.
Plus, they have cool golf shirts and merchandise! Lol
As far as rooting interest………
His mother asked me the following question one time…….
“What if he was facing Mariano Rivera with the season on the line, what would you say to him”?
I told her, I would say, “There is no shame in being struck out by a Hall of Famer. Better luck next year”! lol
Seriously, if the Yankees played the Pirates, and my nephew is starting for the Pirates, that would be the best of both worlds for me.
“Although, you should get him to take some of those tests-then you could spend all night arguing about who’s smarter”
no, i’m going to spend a week doing the exercises and dazzle him with my brilliance.
he won’t know what hit him.
SJ44 -
I know the hitters in A ball are not the same calibre as ML. But Stoneburner was really baffling those guys through the 7th inning when I saw him. Low pitch count, too. I think he only walked one batter, maybe two.
(I wish I saved the scoresheet.)
On a non-baseball note…..
I don’t know if some of you are college basketball fans.
If you are, try to catch BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. The kid is unreal.
He has Tim Hardaway’s crossover with 30 foot range.
He’s the most entertaining CBB player I’ve seen in years.
If you are a fan of CBB, you will love watching this kid play.
Sj–
I hope you see it soon.
randy l. January 27th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
no, i?m going to spend a week doing the exercises and dazzle him with my brilliance.
he won?t know what hit him.
********************************
There you go.
I’d like to see the Pirates do well…but they always seem to be stuck in neutral or reverse. My father must have watched the 1979 Pirates at some point (I guess the WS) because although I was only 8 at the time and I know I was not into baseball, “We are Family” always reminds me of them. For some reason, I have fondish feelings for the Bucs
How does he compare to Pistol Pete?
Ledger_Yankees Wow, these look like crap http://bit.ly/dF1QD6
Doreen,
His stuff will definitely play up to the higher levels.
I saw a lot of good young arms last summer and he was one of the more impressive one’s that I saw.
Speaking of College Basketball, ESPN has a piece on the plane crash 10 years ago that killed members of the Oklahoma State basketball team. One of the kids who was killed was supposed to go on another flight, but he ended up switching flights with a friend (I think actually it was a cousin). It’s such a sad story…….but beautifully written
SJ -
I see you answered my concerns above. When I first read your post I thought you meant bullpen for this season, but then Betsy’s follow up had me thinking you meant otherwise. ‘Sokay.
MConti -
It was me.
The Pirates used to be a very, very strong team. A lot of really good players. Some tough pitching. I followed the Mets in the 70s and the Pirates were always one of the best teams in the league.
Fredette is pretty awesome.
Then they had those brutal losses in the early 1990′s to the Braves
I wish I could have seen Clemente – now he was a real hero.
Erin, I haven’t seen Erica on here, but, if you do, send her this, Thanks.
For Erica:
“It Was A Dark And Stormy Night
by Snoopy
Part I
It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed. The maid screamed.
Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon!
While millions of people were starving, the king lived in luxury. Meanwhile, on a small farm in Kansas, a boy was growing up.
Part II
A light snow was falling, and the little girl with the tattered shawl had not sold a violet all day.
At that very moment, a young intern at City Hospital was making an important discovery. The mysterious patient in Room 213 had finally awakened. She moaned softly.
Could it be that she was the sister of the boy in Kansas who loved the girl with the tattered shawl who was the daughter of the maid who had escaped from the pirates? The intern frowned.
“Stampede!” the foreman shouted, and forty thousand head of cattle thundered down on the tiny camp. The two men rolled on the ground grappling beneath the murderous hooves. A left and a right. A left. Another left and right. An uppercut to the jaw. The fight was over. And so the ranch was saved.
The young intern sat by himself in one corner of the coffee shop. he had learned about medicine, but more importantly, he had learned something about life.”
THE END
http://www.amazon.com/Was-Dark…..0345442725
Remembering Bernie Williams career he never had a spike in his numbers in any one year. No Brady Anderson year for him Career .297 Avg hitter 287 HR, 1257 RBI, 2076 hits, his postseason numbers he was a big time hitter 121 AB 128 hits 22 HR 80 RBI .275 Avg. He was awesome one big reason why Yankees won it all.
Classic Calcatera…..
craigcalcaterra Mystery teams and “major league sources” next! RT @BreakingNews FBI executes search warrants on suspected ‘Anonymous’ hackers
I remember the “we are family” Pirates…also remember when the Orioles and Royals were good…must be hard to be fans of those teams
SJ44,
Saw highlights of Fredette when he dropped 43 on SDSU. He’s a good player, fun to watch.
Did Bernie have 128 hits in 121 AB? Wow! He WAS good!
HipHipHorHay January 27th, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Did Bernie have 128 hits in 121 AB? Wow! He WAS good!
_______________________________________________
LOL they count double in big games. I meant 121 hits in 128 AB.
Guys – Stoneburner was in A-ball last year. I’d be shocked if he’s ready for the bigs in the next couple of years, never mind this year. I hope you guys are right, but he can’t be placed ahead of the Killer B’s, right?
121 hits in 128 games not AB I’m assuming lol. If it was 121 hits in 128 at bats he would roughly have hit .990 in the postseason. Now that’s clutch.
I meant games yeah LOL. MY BAD
I think the correct stat is that Andy Pettitte had to drive Bernie’s son home after 121 of 128 post-season games.
Bernie was lost in thought after all those hits.
“With a bat [Montero's] this potentially strong, why risk injury or give up the 20-25 games a year when your catcher has to rest? Montero could solve the Yankees? DH problem for the next 10 years if they commit to it, a move they are unlikely to ever regret.”
I’ve always been a fan of Alex’s fielding but there were a number of “statue” plays last year. He’s going to have to DH the last 4-5 years of his contract. The Yanks’ “DH problem” is that they already have a solution not named Montero.
I like this take on Banuelos from Law:
“he’s close to maxed out physically now, so he’s just a few refinements away from being able to help the big league club.”
Yankees get a lot of love on the Top 100, I like it. Also I agree re: Romine’s receiving abilities. When I saw him in Tampa and in the Future Stars game he couldn’t catch fastballs and had 2 catcher interference reaching forward with his glove…
Next year is a big year for him, and that combined with his bat is the reason I want to trade him.
Bartolo Colon has also been maxed out physically.
“Next year is a big year for him, and that combined with his bat is the reason I want to trade him.”
Agree… that was my thinking as well
Romine has the bat, athletic ability, arm and foot speed to play any of the four corners. That would also make him a great emergency catcher. he have really good value, but, unless he’s dealt with another quality player, you won’t get back what either are worth.
I agree with ac1. Next year there will be a lot of FA closers on the market. The Yankees lost nothing by giving Soriano the opt outs.
Smart money is probably on the idea that Soriano is being groomed to follow Mariano and that most closers wouldn’t turn down their noses at that honor, nor the money that will go with it. I’m sure Mariano’s recommendation had a lot to do with it also.
It’s nothing but good. Why would Soriano opt out? For more money? Ha! Now that we got past that one, to be a closer “elsewhere” when he knows that he is being groomed to follow Mo and in the (likely) not-too-distant future?
A lot of you seem to live to borrow trouble.
I have no problem with Randy Levine being part of any decision-making process. In fact the more minds involved, the better.
I know that certain personality types need to have every i dotted and every t crossed before they can breathe for the day, but life just doesn’t work that way. Neither does baseball. You root for the best team with the most generous pocketbook in the league.
Let life takes its course and trust that the Yankees will do what they have to and be creative where they need to be. Or put another way, excessive worrying on the parts of any posters here won’t change the future a whit. So why not just chill and enjoy the ride?
“I have no problem with Randy Levine being part of any decision-making process”
he’s an amateur about baseball on the field. he knows about the business of baseball.
he shouldn’t have anything to do with what happens on the field.
he should only have something to do with business matters.
And you know this how? You have no idea how much power and authority he has been given to be involved in baseball decisions. You also have no idea how much of an amateur he is or isn’t about baseball on the field.
trisha-
it’s so easy to see when you just want to argue for the sake of arguing.
randy levine could not walk from one end of the baseball field to the other during bp without getting killed by the ball.
“You have no idea how much power and authority he has been given to be involved in baseball decisions.”
i didn’t say i did.
i said he shouldn’t have any say over on field decisions. all those decisions should be made by girardi and cashman and the people under them.
“randy levine could not walk from one end of the baseball field to the other during bp without getting killed by the ball.”
yeah, randy that’s really intelligent. Got a link to that?
not trying to be difficult, but watch someone who hasn’t been on a baseball field walk around during BP. they are always in the wrong place at the wrong time.
i’m just saying levine doesn’t have any on field experience.
if you think he does, i’d be glad to hear about it.