So, You Want Jesus Montero To Be The Yanks Next D.H.?
Posted by Steve L. on April 6th, 2010 · Comments (9)
Montero is currently 20-years old. And, as history shows us, in the big leagues, you just don’t ask a kid under the age of 24 to be a full-time D.H.
If Jesus is going to play for the Yankees, full-time, it’s going to be at a position other than D.H. – once he’s ready for the majors.
I would have no problem with Montero being the team’s next DH because I don’t think age should dictate anything. If you can hit, you can hit.
However, I’d rather the Yanks exhaust all possibilities with him behind the plate before they decide to promote him as a full-time DH. If that means all of 2010 and even the first part of 2011 in AAA, so be it.
Montero is currently 20-years old. And, as history shows us, in the big leagues, you just don’t ask a kid under the age of 24 to be a full-time D.H.
If anything it says that they are usually playing a position, rather than DH. It doesn’t mean that they are unable to DH
@ Raf: You can also say that it says that players under the age of 24, who can’t handle a position other than D.H., do not play full-time in the major leagues.
@ Steve Lombardi:
How many of those have the bat of Montero, though. I’d imagine not a lot. If the guy can hit, who cares how old he is?
That being said, I agree that he should be down in AAA catching full time. Although, if NJ were to hit the 15 day lets say, I see no wrong in bringing him up for a few weeks, only to be sent down upon NJ’s return.
Corey Italiano wrote:
That’s 15 days he’s doing something other than working on being a catcher. It’s not just drills and conversations with Tony Pena and Jorge Posada, it’s accruing valuable innings of experience behind the plate, working with pitchers, making throws to second, etc. Over those 15 days that he might be up here, that’s potentially 100 innings of experience you’re costing him.
The Yanks have other options if NJ goes on the DL for 15 days.
MJ Recanati wrote:
If the difference between Montero being serviceable and atrocious is 15 days or 100 innings, then he doesn’t deserve to be behind the plate at all.
Corey Italiano wrote:
Well, I don’t think it’ll just come down to those 15 days or 100 innings. I just don’t see the purpose of bringing him up now while he’s got more important things to work on.
Missed a big one, because of the 75% cutoff.
Eddie Murray DHed 111 games as a 21-year-old rookie in 1977, because the Orioles didn’t want to hiss off veteran Lee May.
111 games is about 70% of the schedule.
If Eddie Murray could do it, maybe Montero can to. I hope he doesn’t have to; I’d prefer he was a catcher full-time. But, if the Yanks need a DH, and he dominates AAA, well, there are worse options for Yanks to choose.
can, too.
{sigh}