Yanks' Montero off to hot start in Triple-A
Jesus Montero #83 of the New York Yankees works on his defense at George M. Steinbrenner Field. (Feb. 21, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
The baseball minor league season is only six games in, but top Yankee prospect Jesus Montero is off to a blistering start for Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre. The other highly touted catching prospect, Austin Romine, has gotten off to a less than stellar start at Double-A Trenton.
| PLAYER | G | AB | H | HR | RBI | AVG | OBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesus Montero | 6 | 39 | 13 | 1 | 2 | .448 | .655 |
| Austin Romine | 5 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .222 | .391 |
Neither catcher seized the opportunity to become the backup catcher in spring training. Many scouts thought Montero took some steps back toward the end of spring training. His defensive skills behind the plate have always been suspect, but there’s no denying his hitting ability.
With Russell Martin hitting .294 with three homers and eight RBIs, there is no way Montero becomes the everyday catcher in 2011 at this point. Manager Joe Girardi ruled out making him a backup because he rather Montero play everyday in the minors.
With Montero on a tear in Triple-A, his stock is rising if the Yankees decide to pull the trigger on a trade for a starting pitcher.
