November 5, 2011

My Favorite Martin

The Yankee Analysts note a big upside signing Russell Martin to a long-term contract:

There’s a second angle to extending Martin. If Montero makes big strides as a defender or a lower level prospect like Gary Sanchez or Isaias Tejeda moves quickly, you could always trade Martin down the road to a team that needs an everyday Catcher. Never forget that good everyday Catchers are exceedingly rare, and therefore worth a lot on the trade market.

I would venture that if the Yankees sign Martin to a three or four year deal, it’s a big signal that they don’t think Jesus Montero will be an everyday catcher. There is a story that I mostly heard from my father that Yogi Berra was not a good defensive catcher before he came to the majors. Bill Dickey tutored him and turned him into a great defensive catcher. I don’t totally buy the story, because one of Yogi’s skills as a catcher was reading the hitter, detecting changes in his stance in the batter’s box, and calling pitches that would exploit those changes. In other words, Yogi had a terrific pattern recognizer and used it effectively. That’s a skill one develops by catching lots of games. I’m sure Dickey helped Yogi with footwork and throwing, but those strike me as minor compared to being able to call the right pitch based on his recognition of what the batter thought was coming.

So maybe Montero doesn’t block the plate or throw well, but does he call a good game? If so, I suspect with Joe Girardi, Tony Pena, and Russell Martin around, Montero could become competent at those other tasks. Keeping Russell around for three more years could turn out to be like the Girardi bridge to Jorge Posada.

Games caught for the Yankees
Season Girardi Posada
1997 111 60
1998 78 99
1999 65 109
2000 0 142

Note that Montero won’t enter his prime until 2015, so there’s plenty of time for him to develop behind the plate.

2 thoughts on “My Favorite Martin

  1. Steve S.

    Thanks for the link, Dave. Always appreciated.

    One reason many scouts are down on Montero’s ability to stick at Catcher come down to size. He’s big and not very flexible, which causes him to use a wide open stance with his legs in order to get down far enough that he’s not blocking the umpire. That means his legs have a long way to go when he gets crossed up or on pitches in the dirt. He also stabs at the ball a bit, which won’t get you a borderline strike and leads you to being blinded by your catcher’s mitt on high pitches. I just don’t see how he’s going to correct these things, they originate with his size and skills.

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