John Manuel of Baseball America recently did an interview
with NoMaas, and made a number of interesting statements over the course of his remarks. The one I found most compelling was his opinion on Jesus Montero’s defense:
The consensus is (and frankly has been for the last two years) that Montero has improved, but will never be an average defender.
He’s got plus raw arm strength, but a slow, inconsistent release. He’s become more flexible and agile behind the plate, but is who he is — a behemoth for a catcher. He’s just big, in a better way now, but still big. I believe he can catch in the majors, but it would always be “adequate,” and he would be an asset for his offense, not his defense.
Comparing him to Mike Piazza, he has a better arm but is a lesser receiver. He’s never been held up as a guy who is great at handling pitchers, either.
Check out the remainder of the interview, as Manuel is very candid in his assessments and NoMaas asks some strong questions. As for Jesus, I recently suggested that the Yankees might be better off just sticking Montero at DH and forgetting about him for the next 10 seasons, but that contention was based upon the premise that Montero will be an awful defender. If he can be adequate or even moderately below average behind the plate, it is almost certain that he would provide more value to the club in both the short-term and long-term as a catcher. It seems like the Yankees believe that he can meet that standard, and I expect them to give him a chance to be the starting catcher on Opening Day 2012, and possibly sooner if Russell Martin does not work out.
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6 Responses to Manuel: Montero Can Be Adequate Defensively
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TIQ IQ
I found Manuel’s response even more interesting when compared to Cashman’s recent statements (like that Montero is ‘better defensively, today, than some MLB catchers’). I think people hear something like that and think Cashman is hyping up his prospect to inflate his value a bit, but what Cashman said really isn’t so different from what many independent observers have said about Montero. Cashman didn’t say Montero is an average (or better) MLB catcher right now, he said Montero’s probably better than ‘some’ MLB catchers right now.
Nobody’s heaping glowing praise on the kid’s defensive abilities, but I do think we’ve heard some people recently expressing an opinion that I think Yankees fans should find relatively exciting: Some people (whose opinions are generally pretty well-respected) seem to think Montero can handle playing the position today, at least part-time, in MLB. That’s not to say he’s going to be winning Gold Gloves back there, but with the way his bat is projected, being able to give even a below-average showing defensively behind the plate should be enough. (And hopefully there’s still room for improvement.)
This is a decision that should and will be made on the field. If Montero hits well enough to offset his defensive shortcomings, he’ll stick at catcher, at least part-time and at least for several years. The Yankeee DH spot is filled this year, and in the not-distant future others (A-Rod) will need to transition from their current positions as age further reduces their range.
I think it’s important for a team to have an excellent defensive catcher. Important for getting the best out of pitchers and for inspiring good defense from the rest of the team. That leads to morale that ellicits clutch hitting, and overall confidence.
Best to start Jesus as DH and backup, and see if he grows into it.
when he said better than ‘some’ major league catchers, he meant posada top of that some list..
I think having good hitters at premium defensive positions makes completing a roster a lot easier. It’s hard to find adequate fielders at 2B/SS/CA who’re really good hitters. This has been DJ’s biggest asset for most of his career. I think getting Jesus a lot of ABs is going to help the offense a lot, and it’s even better if he can get most of his PT behind the plate and let Jorge et al DH.
I think we are missing the point. Is he equal to or better than Posada on defense? We have a much better projection of his bat (being Posada-esqe or better). The Yanks have been more than fine with a less than average defensive catcher for the past 10+ years.