Jesus of Tampa, our 19-year-old savior from the land of oil and Hugo, hit two HRs yesterday in the Florida Rednecks-in-Ballcaps League.
Praise Jesus. He hits like a holy terror. But the devil here is his size: They say he's too massive to catch, that his future is 1B, and we have a billionaire there who is now hitting .200.
So here's my question: Why in the name of Ron Bloomberg is Jesus playing DH?
Before continuing, let me concede this: Yes, they know more than I do.
They split catching duties at Tampa between Jesus and Austin Romine, another prospect, to give each playing time.
This is ridiculous. This is typical Yankee organizational over-reach: We'll draft Andrew Brackman and cut his arm for a year. We'll draft this kid who's going to college, because he'll change his mind. We'll develop both kids and have two all-star catchers.
We have one of baseball's best prospects, and he's DHing half the time. This is insane. If we don't watch out, Jesus will come up as the new Sam Horn. Not only that, but Romine might not have honed his skills. We need these catchers catching every day.
Long ago, some Yankee mastermind decided Ron Bloomberg, our best prospect, should platoon in the minors. So he came up as a guy who only batted against righthanders. What a loss.
Romine should not be thrown overboard. But it's becoming clear that Montero is a special case. They are not equal. Montero needs to catch every day, and Romine should either go back to Charleston or up to Trenton.
Of course, we all know what the Yankees will do: Because of the glut, they'll put one on the DL and have him go drinking for a month with Billy Connors.
This has actually been a move that seems pretty widely praised. I thought your headline was a joke at first.
ReplyDeleteI mean, it makes sense to protect your top prospect doesn't it? He's catching every other day, so he's still learning. And he's not putting the wear and tear on his body that catching usually puts you through.
I would rather see them do it this way and have him come up without going through as many minor injuries as catchers go through. I'd also like him to come up as a 21 or 22 year old with fresh legs. Not some guy who's legs are about to fall out from underneath him at such a young age.
I understand this argument. I've heard it before, and I've heard it praised. Here is my question:
ReplyDeleteAre we not creating a luxury class farm system? These are not pitchers, whose arms must be protected at all costs. These are catchers, who need the innings. These guys need the reps.
I don't want Montero catching 150 games a season in the minors. But it seems to me that catching 75 -- splitting it with Romine -- is a wasted opportunity to grow.
For both of them.
It made more sense when they were considered equals as prospects (if they ever were.) But now that Montero is rapidly developing as a hitter, we face a quandry: His bat might become MLB ready, but he'll have nowhere to play in the field. We don't want another Sam Horn.
This guy needs games behind the plate.
Do I make sense? Seriously. These guys down there know more than I do. I'm just saying it's time for them to change strategy.