One year ago today, the Mets signed Kiko Calero, who was coming off of a season in which he posted a 1.95 ERA with 10.4 K/9 for the Marlins. Calero never pitched for the Mets and the team released him in May. Here are today's New York notes…
- Jason Isringhausen will retire if he doesn't make the Mets' roster this spring, the veteran reliever tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Carl Crawford didn't think the Yankees had much interest in him this winter, and Brian Cashman confirmed as much to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. Crawford "didn't mesh with what we had here and my need for starting pitching" and while Cashman is a Crawford fan, "I've got someone I'm excited about in Brett Gardner, who's $142MM less." (both Twitter links)
- With Chris Capuano and Chris Young in line to win rotation spots, it all but confirms that the Mets will release Oliver Perez, says ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin.
- Jesus Montero appears to have an excellent chance of winning the Yankees' backup catcher job, since Francisco Cervelli will miss at least four weeks with a broken foot. Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he has no interest in delaying Montero's arbitration clock by holding him back for the first few months of the season (Twitter link).
- Before the injury, Chad Jennings of the Journal News reports that the Yankees seem legitimately impressed by Montero's improvement behind the plate. It appeared early on that the Yankees would send Montero to the minors to play every day, but as ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains, Montero has become a better, more dedicated catcher and remains a force at the plate.
- Francisco Rodriguez told Newsday's David Lennon that he wants to do "double" this year in order to regain the confidence of Mets fans after a trying 2010 season. Rodriguez repeated that he isn't worried about the 2012 option that vests at $17.5MM if he finishes 55 games this season.
- Johnny Damon told Peter Botte of the New York Daily News that he was never close to returning to the Yankees, since he isn't ready to be a part-time player and the Yankees have a DH and three outfielders. In a few years, however, Damon says he'll be ready for a part-time role.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
What’s the odds that K-Rod gets benched after his 50th game finished.
benched?
Just lock him in a room with his father in law, and he’ll take care of the rest.
You mean KRod will punch his father in law hard enough to break his hand again?
To which he will then follow up with a dozen pointing and pumps towards the air to thank the lord.
Sounds like a Pay-Per-View event in the making.
I’m in.
Heh, when you said that I vaguely heard the Rocky theme in my head.
There’s a reason they call him K.O.-Rod now.
Assuming the Mets will suck this year, would they actually give K-Rod multiple (perhaps meaningless) innings per game in the first half to ‘wear him down’ and thus have an argument that he was too ineffective to reach 55 games? That’s probably too conspiracy-esque…just wondering though.
MLBPA would burn Citi to the ground
Which would do Mets fans and players alike a favor
I’m sure someone would file a grievance with the MLBPA on K-Rods behalf, either his agent or K-Rod himself. With that said, I’d pitch him two innings at a time to give him extra off days and try my hardest to ensure he does not finish more than 50 games.
Things happen for a reason and I wish Montero stays with the Yanks and becomes a great catcher.
Hope Montero pans out for them.
if they can live with him behind the plate, the value of montero’s bat will explode
but bringing him to the bigs in a backup capacity just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me developmentally. a prospect that good should be handled carefully and if he is actually showing signs that he might learn to live behind the plate (6 game sample lol), all the more reason to stick him in AAA and let him improve every day
Unless the Yankees can be convinced to give Montero 4 or 5 games a week, he should go back to AAA but I don’t see them making Posada catch 100 games or anything close to that so there might be a spot for him right out of spring training.
I think it’s clear that Martin won’t be dependend on to appear in more than 4 games a week. If Montero can play 2 or 3 times a week at C and another 2 times a week @ DH then I think he can get enough AB to keep his bat sharp.
Another good point that’s been discussed is the fact that he can catch bullpen sessions and be tutored by Pena and Girardi on the physical aspects of catching but also learn the staff and the cerebral aspects of catching from watching on his days off. They’ve made the point that he wouldn’t receive nearly as much mlb coaching at the minor lge level.
Interesting debates on the pros and cons overall.
Wasn’t thinking about those aspects. If what you describe is true then if he’s hitting capably and catching capably at the end of spring training he should make the major league roster.
plus remember when Jorge came up to replace Girardi. They mentioned this on the broadcast the other day and Posada was eased into a starting role and look how that turned out. However, I’m hoping more for Romine to be our starting guy for the next era
that’s cervelli’s role, as the article mentioned. they’re considering replacing cervelli with montero. i understand the temptation, but it doesn’t strike me as the best development track for a player of his caliber
I say as long as they can find him 500 ABs this year,you can let his defense develop at a slower rate, in practice and bps.
cervelli got about 300, so mister russel martin would have to stand down
yea but you would never play cervelli DH, he doesnt have the bat for it.
So if he can get 50-60 games at DH he’ll get his 500 AB’s.
exactly, francisco cervelli should definetly not be an obstacle in montero’s way
Cervelli injured his foot and that might put him on the shelf for a little while. He’s suppose to get more tests done.
Posada is not catching at all this spring so that must indicate he won’t catch a single game this upcoming season.
Hey dude. Sry I didn’t respond to the rest ofyour posts in the Burnett/Rosenthal article. I had to actually put in some work all day yesterday.
As for Montero, it’s slightly risky bringing him up from AAA but I think the idea is that they feel he’s developing quick and could benefit from some hands on mentoring from Pena and Girardi.
you definitely have to love the fact that his manager will be a former catcher. much better than taking tips from posada =D
if i’m the yankees i still prefer to protect him and let him hit and catch live pitching every day. at least for awhile
Yeah don’t want to mess w/ “Baby Jesus” like they did Joba.
i’m sure a kid with that kind of bat could hit his way out of any developmental slump eventually. my thing is that if there’s any truth at all to the possibility of him developing into a tolerable catcher, you do whatever you can to make that dream come true. his bat from behind the plate is gold
interesting dilemma with a guy like sanchez not far behind, but turning montero into a livable catcher only makes you richer in the long run
Man Ban is pitching against the Red Sox. Dude’s like a young Johan! I am very excited!!
that’s exactly what gammons said on the sox network: johan santana with a curveball
I don’t live in NY anymore and haven’t seen any of the NY ST games but d@mn. I don’t know what to take away from the box scores. It’s not just the fact that Bans and Bets are striking guys out. They are striking them out on three pitches. Either they are really that hard topick up or the hitters simply don’t have their swing and timing down yet.
In his first game Bets struck out 3 guys on 9 pitches and it looks like Bans had his way with Vtek, Reddick and Nava. Not exactly Agonz, Youks and Crawford but still pretty good for kids with very little time above A+.
I’ve seen Banny pitch all of his games so far…Just perfectly clean mechanics and he pumped 96 AT THE END of his appearance tonight. Threw 2-0 curves and changeups. It’s almost frightening to see his mental makeup for a 20 year old. I don’t have a comparison, but he has three legit out pitches and I’ve heard he’s felt comfortable throwing whatever he wants since he was 16. Just a scary talent if he stays healthy. Martin compared his stuff to Kershaw today. Personally, I think Betances is even more electric, but he lacks the mechanics and maturity as a pitcher.
Betances is also more likely to end up a reliever of the two
Colon looked excellent tonight and looks determined and motivated and Banuelos was EXCELLENT. His command was very sharp and insane for someone his age.
I AM Peter Gammons!
No Montero rules. Thank you.
No O’doyle rules
Well played. I like your style.
why thank you sir
I like your moves
Jesus rules.
don’t forget to point to the sky
With Montero in the line-up the offense becomes the best in baseball!
Damon: A few years? Like, when he is 48?
He meant a part-time role as a caddie.
Damon should be lucky he has a job THIS year – forget about a few years from now.
unless he feels like he should be the most expensive and best part time player in a couple years I’m pretty sure someone wpuld bite with 1MM 1 year commitment in a couple years
Yes, he has a job this year, but as for how long he’s a starter this year depends on other things:
a. Desmond Jennings and his imminent callup, which would cut into playing time in LF as Jennings figures to play there almost full time once he does get called up.
b. Matt Joyce having a break out year and claiming RF for his own, which would freeze Damon out of RF(not that he should be playing there anyway) and 1B, too, as Ben Zobrist would likely be shifted to 1B almost full time(or would at least force a 3-way platoon between 1B and 2B of Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, and Dan Johnson).
True, Damon could be a super-sub who subs in LF, RF, 1B, and DH, but he would still be a part-time player in that capacity, wouldn’t he?
I wonder if anyone told Damon these things when he signed. 😉
Watching Montero in spring training he looks to be much improved over last year. I think he could be better right now than Posoda was last year and as good as Weiters was when he first came up. If Cervelli is hurt Montero stays with the team for sure. The only drawback to keepin Montero in the majors is the number of years the Yanks can control him at this point. As Gerardi has stated if Montero can help the Yanks win he will be there opening day. I think he sticks.
I’d say Weiters was a lot better his rookie year than Montero ever will be at “catching”. And that’s not a ridiculous statement at all. I think this “improvement” in Montero is comparable to a guy coming to camp saying he’s in the best shape of his life. Not much behind it
Except if you actually watched Montero last year and this year defensively. Then you would realize what’s behind it is actually true. From a physical standpoint, Montero IS much improved and anyone who follows him can see it. Now as far as his game calling, that’s something you have to take the Yankees’ word on, which obviously should be with a grain of salt since it serves them no purpose to be honest if of course the truth is bleak.
Oh I forgot the normal fan was also a MLB scout…
Please actually watch Montero before you a statement like that
I wouldn’t even trust myself because I know less about catching than any real scout. I don’t trust fan’s opinions
“I’d say Weiters was a lot better his rookie year than Montero ever will be at “catching”. And that’s not a ridiculous statement at all”.
Yeah actually it is. To say that there’s no way at all a 21 will EVER reach the level of Weiters in 2009 sounds a little shabby. He may never be a GG catcher but players do learn to improve themselves thru hard work. It’s not like he’s fat and unathletic.
I really like the idea of Montero breaking camp with the big league club. Girardi said a few weeks ago that he thinks that Montero can get as much experience catching in a major league game 3 times a week, as he does catching every day in the minors. His bat can play, and if his defense is as improved as he has shown of late, I think he has potential to be an average to even slightly above average catcher with his arm.
when i saw him catch on TV i only saw him look a little awkward on one pitch. He caught it, but it didn’t make him look like he had soft hands. However, one pitch in three innings is pretty good for a guy like him
watch out sabathias eating again!!!!!!!!
If he can catch, I just really hope Cash doesn’t decide to trade him for a pitcher since his value would be so high. If he makes the big league team and he proves as the back up that he can play, hopefully they can trade away Martin and let Cervelli be back up when he is healed.
on a seperate note, i was at spring training during Betances first game, and trust me, he will be an ace in the future. The second he jogged out of the bullpen every scout took out the radar gun (Lou Pinella was there as well). He hit 100mph and he struck out both Dom Brown and Ryan Howard with little effort.
I hope we can manage to be competitive AND keep the top 5 prospects. Betances just looks scary. He’s like an NBA power forward with the head a shade smaller to that of Antonia Silva.
I hope Cashman doesn’t trade any of these guys, at least for now. I’ve watched every spring game so far and I am thoroughly impressed with this group you refer to. I know this has been in the works for a while, but I’m really taken back by the scouting and just how good the farm has become. It really came out of nowhere these last 2 or 3 years and what, they are ranked #5 overall? Not bad for a team that is a consistent winner and doesn’t draft high. The catching depth is ridiculous. Even Melky Mesa is impressing me in the OF and I finally got to see Noesi pitch. Not bad at all..
We really do have a really good farm system now. Alot of guys are going to be major league players. The catching depth, pitching depth, even some guys in the infield, Russo, Nunez, Laird.
Yeah, there was a picture in one of the papers of Cameron Diaz feeding him popcorn with a shovel.
If there’s two things I really like about Bets and Montero is that they both seem really committed to working out their own kinks and it seems they really truly want to be Yankees. Of course they just want to play, but it seems they both want to play in NY vs anywhere else. Something to be said about kids who want to be in NY where the lights burn the brightest considering all the hype surrounding them.
With Betances, I get it.
But as for Montero, what prospect who hasn’t played a single game in the majors and didn’t grow up with a geographical allegiance to a particular team would NOT give the impression that he wanted to play for the team that signed him? Do you expect him to say, “Sure, I’ll put in my service time here, but my heart is really in Oakland?” What is it about his sunny disposition and commitment to improving that makes you think it has anything to do with his love of pinstripes, rather than the promise of a better life than he had in Venezuela?
Montero will get more than likely succeed and get paid wherever he goes. However, I read an interview with him and he seemed to be genuine that he wants to stay with the Yanks and desperately wants to stay at C and prove that he can playmlb level defense. Honestly, the guy knows that he can probably have a faster track to the majors elsewhere and most prospects say “I want to play here but if they trade me then I can’t control it, as long as I get to play I’m happy”. Quite true that I wouldn’t expect him to say anything stupid but he seems intent on working hard to earn his keep as the next NY Yankee C.
I’m not so sure that Montero would have a much faster track to the majors as a catcher if he played elsewhere. The Yankees have already shown a willingness to go to battle with a premium-bat, no-glove catcher in Posada, so he only needs to be passable behind the plate. The Yankees are also so overloaded with infield bats that they can afford to roll the dice with unproven commodities, e.g., Brett Gardner, and weather the growing pains.
Russell Martin has no appendages left to destroy, Posada has assumed his rightful role as a highly-compensated DH, and Cervelli’s biggest contribution to the Yankees before his injury was that he distracted opponents with his striking resemblance to Rick Moranis’ Dark Helmet character in Spaceballs. Montero’s only real obstacle to getting ABs as a catcher is the temptation to use him as tradebait.
Wellif you think about it. If Tex wasn’t at 1st then there probably would be no doubt about him breaking camp. I’m saying that as a C there’s the question of “is he ready defensively”. If he were moved to 1B he would havea much easier path for the Yanks or anyone else for that matter.
But I sincerly hope we keep him. I’m not too worried about our offense with Tex and Cano still relatively young but Swish and Grandy are not under contract for much longer so having Montero in his 3rd year when they leave eases the burden some.
pardon the typos. I can’t edit.
“With Chris Capuano and Chris Young in line to win rotation spots, it all but confirms that the Mets will release Oliver Perez,”
Cashman, DON’T pick up the phone.
“I’ve got someone I’m excited about in Brett Gardner, who’s $142MM less.”
I think I said something along these lines last week, only to start an epic battle with Red Sox fans saying there is no comparing the two…
The problem was you brought it up as a point of reference for the Sox signing him. It is a perfectly reasonable point when talking about why he wouldn’t make sense for the Yankees, but it has absolutely no bearing on whether or not the Sox should have signed him.