Montero thrown into fire; can he get hot?

BOSTON

Jesus Montero is still just 21 years old. It only feels like he's closer to 31.

That's what happens here at the intersection of hype and patience that is your Yankees baseball club.

We finally got to see Montero in the big leagues last night, as the calendar arranged for him to make his debut at Fenway Park. The rivalry quickly pushed him into the deep end; his first major-league at-bat came with the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning. Montero struck out on a cutter by Boston All-Star Jon Lester.

He made the third out in his next two at-bats, leaving Nick Swisher on first base in the third when he flied out to right and ending a first-and-third rally in the fifth by grounding out to shortstop Marco Scutaro. In the seventh, he took first base when Alfredo Aceves hit him with a pitch. He scored the go-ahead run on Russell Martin's two-run double in the Yankees' 4-2 win.

Failure and disappointment often come with breaking in a new player, and as the Yankees have displayed, they're willing to withstand some rocky transitions if they believe in the payoff. "Just go out and be the guy that you are," Joe Girardi said before the game.

"Don't try to do too much. Just be the guy that you are. And enjoy your first day. This only comes around once. Take in what's going on around you. Enjoy."

Montero, prior to the game, said, "It's the same baseball for me. I've got to take it like that. The same baseball as Triple-A. Come to home plate today, have some fun, hit the ball well."

Montero tallied 967 plate appearances for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre these past two seasons, a relative lifetime in an industry that has trended toward pushing its heralded youngsters forward. Consider that Angels outfielder Mike Trout, 20, has yet to spend a day at the Triple-A level, jumping straight from Double-A to the majors. Or that the Giants received criticism last year for not promoting Buster Posey sooner, and that Posey recorded 359 plate appearances with Triple-A Fresno.

The Yankees, since Brian Cashman gained full power at the conclusion of the 2005 season, have not hesitated to be hesitant when it comes to promoting young players. When Bartolo Colon went on the disabled list in June, the Yankees brought in journeyman Brian Gordon rather than call upon Adam Warren or David Phelps at Scranton.

Remember, Montero received a chance to make the Yankees as a backup catcher out of spring training when Francisco Cervelli sustained a fracture in his left foot and Jorge Posada, citing headaches, opted out of catching drills. Instead, Montero played so poorly in Grapefruit League action that he wound up back in the minors.

The subsequent malaise -- perhaps boredom at Triple-A, some people both inside and outside the organization speculated -- carried into the season's first half, as he put together a modest .346 on-base percentage and .418 slugging percentage before heating up to .352 and .558 afterward. His strong numbers against lefties this season, featuring a .392 OBP and .647 SLG, make him a legitimate candidate to get postseason starts at the DH spot and keep Posada out of the October action altogether.

Montero might wind up as a longtime Yankees bat, another infusion of youth into an aging lineup. He might wind up getting traded this winter for a starting pitcher. But it's time to find out what the Yankees have in this guy.

"I'm ready," Montero said. "I want to help them win."

We'll see if the Yankees' patience pays off.