Jesus Montero Vs. Ryan Lavarnway
Posted by Steve L. on August 17th, 2011 · Comments (6)
Ryan Lavarnway:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | HR | RBI | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 20 | Lowell | NYPL | A- | BOS | 22 | 82 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 18 | .211 | .317 | .366 |
| 2009 | 21 | Greenville | SALL | A | BOS | 106 | 466 | 21 | 87 | 50 | 113 | .285 | .367 | .540 |
| 2010 | 22 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | A+-AA | BOS | 126 | 550 | 22 | 102 | 70 | 104 | .288 | .393 | .489 |
| 2011 | 23 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | AA-AAA | BOS | 109 | 475 | 30 | 85 | 50 | 102 | .294 | .373 | .561 |
| 4 Seasons | 363 | 1573 | 75 | 283 | 178 | 337 | .285 | .375 | .520 | |||||
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Jesus Montero:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | HR | RBI | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 17 | Yankees | GULF | Rk | NYY | 33 | 123 | 3 | 19 | 12 | 18 | .280 | .366 | .421 |
| 2008 | 18 | Charleston | SALL | A | NYY | 132 | 569 | 17 | 87 | 37 | 83 | .326 | .376 | .491 |
| 2009 | 19 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | A+-AA | NYY | 92 | 379 | 17 | 70 | 28 | 47 | .337 | .389 | .562 |
| 2010 | 20 | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre | IL | AAA | NYY | 123 | 504 | 21 | 75 | 46 | 91 | .289 | .353 | .517 |
| 2011 | 21 | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre | IL | AAA | NYY | 98 | 417 | 13 | 55 | 32 | 88 | .283 | .343 | .437 |
| 5 Seasons | 478 | 1992 | 71 | 306 | 155 | 327 | .307 | .365 | .496 | |||||
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Wouldn’t it suck if the Red Sox catching prospect turned out to be a better big league performer than the Yankees catching prospect?
I will not be the least bit surprised if Montero turns out to be overrated by the Yankees and their fans. I don’t believe he is the long-term answer behind the plate. That said, he is three years younger than the guy you are comparing him to.
I guess being one of the youngest players in each league Montero has played in really doesn’t make a difference. Nor the fact that he is 2 years younger than Sox catcher.
Chances are Montero is going to hit, but just not catch. Could be a Mike Piazza situation. Question is would you rather have a guy like Martin gunning guys down behind the plate but can’t hit or a guy like Montero who will hit but probably be a crappy catcher?
I would be all over the age difference thing if one guy was 20 in AAA and the other guy was 25 in AAA. But, 21 and 23? That’s not a HUGE age difference.
The bigger issue here is that Montero is a repeater at AAA and his numbers have gone down in the power department.
Yeah, I know, I know…”He’s bored.”
Pull-ease. If that’s true – and I don’t believe it, FWIW – that’s a bigger red flag that he’s one of those guys who checks out when he’s not interested.
He’s not. Montero is the better hitting prospect.
And yes, the difference between someone dominating at AAA at age 20 is 100 times more significant than dominating at age 23-24.
There really is a tremendous difference in overall hitting potential between a players who 2-3 years young than his competition vs. one who’s the average age of his competition.
And no, being bored because you know you’re ready to hit at the next level is NOT a bad sign in a hitting prospect. Why don’t you try peddling that to Hanley Ramirez.
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Montero is not in the majors for two reasons:
1) Girardi doesn’t trust his defensive play/game calling, and prefers Russell Martin doing that, and he might be right.
2) The DH slot is not open on this team. But it will be. Soon.
Steve L. wrote:
I’m not concerned about that as much as having Posada & Cervelli stick around. Then again, if they want Montero catching every day, and not riding the pine in NY… It’s the same mindset that had Girardi, Leyritz & Co starting ahead of Posada from 1996-98.
Their handling of Montero is curious, but consistent. I don’t think he’s bored, though that’s the meme going around.
Does it matter if the Red Sox catching prospect is doing better than the Yankees catching prospect if the Yankees catching prospect is playing in the majors for someone else???