Jesus Montero is one of the top catching prospects in baseball, and even though the Yankees have the option of having Francisco Cervelli be the back-up catcher like last year, it would make sense to have Montero on the major league roster.
He is either their catcher of the future or potential trade bait to get an elite starting pitcher and the Yankees should see what he can do against major league pitching. Even though he is only 21 years old, I think he is ready to be called up, and learn from Jorge Posada and Russell Martin. Right now he is rated as the fourth best prospect in all of baseball, after playing 123 games in AAA last season, where he hit .289 with 21 home runs and 89 RBI. Cervelli has shown a knack for being able to handle a pitching staff, but Montero has so much more upside.
Another reason to call him up to the Show is that Martin has been injury prone and inconsistent, since his all-star campaign in the 2007 season. That season, he hit .293, with 19 home runs, 87 RBI and 21 stolen bases. The speed combined with the power output is highly impressive for a catcher. However, his production suffered dramatically in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He only hit .250 in 2009, and then in 2010 he hit a miserable .248 through 97 games, and then in August he tore his labrum in his right hip. He is reportedly in much better shape now, after going through MMA training in the off-season, but one can only hope that he can continue his production from the 2007/08 seasons.
The one knock on Montero has been his defense but he has reportedly improved on this aspect of his game. As long as he is adequate behind the plate, it is likely that his offensive numbers will be able to make up for any of his defensive deficiencies. He might be due for a position change in the future, but the Yankees should call him up as the back-up catcher because he is a better insurance policy than Cervelli.
It makes sense that the Yankees signed Martin to a one-year contract because he has had success in the past, and is a suitable stopgap for Montero since he is not ready to be the everyday catcher out of Spring Training. However, since Martin has not had a productive season since 2008 there is no guarentee that he will bounce back. Having Montero learning from the veterans will be perfect for his development. The sky is the limit for Montero and this is the right time for him to show his skills in the Bronx. The Yankees have another heralded catcher in the minors named Austin Romine and they will be able to use one of the two in a trade to bolster their rotation.
