What Would Jesus Montero Do?
Well, hopefully he would hit the ball very far, and hopefully he would do that very often. Montero has shown in the minors that he is a force to be reckoned with. However, the real question behind what Montero will do is will he be able to play catcher, being an ideal heir to Jorge Posada’s role, or will he be too big physically to actually play catcher?
If he does outgrow the position, it isn’t a huge problem, since he is going to be a dynamite hitter either way, he’ll just have to be a designated hitter most likely (why should Teixeira move away from first base? He’s got one of the best gloves in the game…). However, if the Yankees coaching staff decides that he still can play catcher at a major league level, then we may be looking at the next Piazza folks. And for the record, let’s be honest here folks, Mike Piazza was the greatest hitting catcher of all time. You know it, I know it. He may not be the most popular player amongst Yankee fans, but the dude raked in his day. Joe Mauer may pass him soon if he keeps it up, but if a decision had to be made now on who the best hitting catcher in baseball ever was it would be Piazza. Anyway, I digress. If Montero is able to put up those types of numbers playing behind the plate, he would be MUCH more efficient. You can find designated hitters anywhere, but good hitting catchers are pretty rare.
Let’s take a quick look at Montero’s 2009 minor league stats:
2009 (combined A and AA): .337 batting average, .389 on base percentage, .562 slugging percentage, 17 HR, 70 RBI.
He’s 20 years old, and he is projected by experts to be ready for major league action this season. Now if that happens yet we don’t know. Some people are saying he’ll be up by the All Star break, or even earlier, but I don’t think we should rush him. He’s still very, very young. He won’t be able to have a legal beer (in America) until November 28 of this year. Unless he is desperately needed at the major league level, his development should not be wasted. However, if he is absolutely murdering minor league pitchers, and is clearly ready to make the jump, then I would be welcoming him with both arms wide open as he set foot in the Bronx.
If the above stats are what he produces in the major leagues, then he will be the best hitting catcher ever without question. It’s obviously early and impossible to determine anything like that, seeing as he, you know, hasn’t played in the majors yet. But hey, it’s never too early to start thinking about the future, right?
ETA: September (hopefully…)
Have any thoughts on Jesus Montero? Let us know in the comments section!
Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com
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