The Yankees reassigned 6 players to minor league camp this morning, with Mark Melancon, Ian Kennedy, Jesus Montero, Christian Garcia, Kevin Russo, and Kyle Anson all getting the ax. It seems that Melancon never really had a shot to make the team, as his first poor outing has him on his way back to the minors. Being that he only has one healthy professional season under his belt, it does make sense for the Yankees to keep him in AAA for a bit more seasoning. Expect to see him again at some point over the summer.
Kennedy looked solid in his few appearances, and I would think that Yankees brass is encouraged by the more aggressive pitching style that Ian has shown this spring. I could see him building his stock up to the point where he becomes the centerpiece of a deadline deal. Garcia, Russo, and Anson never really had a shot to make the club, and all three struggled mightily in their brief opportunities to make an impression.
Finally, Montero went 6-9 with a double, a homer, two walks, and just two strikeouts. He looks to be an exciting prospect with the stick in his hand, although he does need some work behind the plate. The Yankees will be hard pressed to keep him from rocketing through the system, but may need to hold him back to develop his defense. He holds significantly more value to the club as a catcher than as a first baseman, left fielder, or DH, and the organization needs to treat him accordingly. I bet we see some of him late in 2010, and have him on the club coming out of spring training in 2011.
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2 Responses to More Cuts: Kennedy, Melancon, Montero
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[...] — Ian Kennedy, Jesus Montero, Christian Garcia, Mark Melancon, Kevin Russo, and Kyle Anson were all reassigned to minor-league camp. No real surprises there. Melancon had been great this spring, but he wasn’t expected to be [...]
I must heartily agree with your assessment . All of them realy had next to no chance of sticking with the big club, IPK has the talent to be a #3/4 starter in the NL…trade bait?
Montero has a plethora of talent but, a lot more to learn…as he, himself knows. He’ll be back to stay, 2011/12…if they hold him out untill 2012, Romine can slip into the starting job with Cervelli very easily.