“If he’s bad now, he’s likely only going to get worse”.

Few C prospects make it to the majors at 21 - it takes an outstanding skill to do so. There’s no doubt that Montero’s skill is the bat. But to say he can’t improve his C skills is also too much at this point. I think that was the initial point Metsfanx was trying to make until he went off his rocker.

That said, I’m not arguing that he will stick there. His bat is moving him fast, but it would be risky and difficult to intern at the majors level - especially catching AJ Burnett.

And to NastyNate’s point on Posada - Montero’s 23% CS rate would have represented a significant improvement over both NYY C’s in 2010. The key point may rest on NY having what appear to be better C Defense options in their pipeline.

NY may need the DH for other players as they age as well, but I can’t see Montero developing into a better 1B or 3B than the current inhabitants for the foreseeable future, and OF? Guess we’ll see.

Although base steamers are tough to catch also ;)

…You wouldn’t need to take a poll on whether he can or not.

Again “Everyone knows he can’t catch” is a very definitive statement. I’ll let my point rest, but I’d pick my words with a little more care when stating an opinion.

Sorry, but most “experts” went from “will never catch in the big leagues”
to “won’t stay long-term at catcher”. (Please read again the Callis quote in your article)

I don’t know Ray, it is hard to view the statement “it’s a shame he can’t stay at catcher” as just your opinion, especially since it reads as if that has already been decided. Or maybe you are lamenting a future event based on your opinion? Not sure I’ve ever done that.

Also, right now it actually seems very likely he will be catching for the Yankees next year. I agree though it would be a shame, from a fantasy perspective, if he can’t stay at catcher.

Speaking of fantasy, I’d think it is almost certain he will catch 20+ games this year which means he’ll also be eligible at catcher in 2012. If I were a betting man I’d also bet that he catches enough in 2012 to be eligible as a catcher in 2013, in all leagues. These years are the most important in dynasty leagues. In 2014 he will be 25 and seems likely to have a good enough bat to be playable at any position, including utility. At that point he is also probably good enough to be a keeper in fantasy.

Also, if you truely believe he wont catch ever you may want to discuss his mlb future, because that leaves only a few options: a. he is up this year as the Yankee DH. b. He is traded to an AL team and is its DH or c. He stays in minors to learn a new position. All of these would have fantasy implications.

Other than the Cliff deal, which trade was Montero involved in? Only one I heard was Soria, but I was under the impression that was not actually offered?

…with your site man.

Well the deal was Cervelli for Martin. They could still add Martin but I thnk you are reading into it way too much and it might never happen. Even if it does happen Yankees can work with three catchers especially when two hit well enough to DH.

Furthermore, Cliff Lee and Halliday are two of the best pitchers in MLB. Adding them would have made Yankees heavy favorites to win the WS in 2010. Yes they trade Montero for that.

For my main league, it’s 10 games starter to retain eligibility for next year. I think that’s the norm for Yahoo leagues.

I could see Montero doing that this year (2011) and next year (2012) which means he’d be C eligible until 2013.

In dynasty leagues, that’s a perfect scenario for a young player that you want to transition to your roster while still competing. Maybe Montero is just a 1st baseman in waiting, but you’d hate to depend on a 21-year old 1st baseman for production. If the bat is good enough though, you can stash him at C (where his production will be much more manageable) until he develops into the offensive force he could / should be, and then move him to 1st/uti once he loses C eligibility. Works out great, I think.

Yes. Leagues have a minimum games requirement. The most common is 10. I’m in two leagues one is 10 the other is 20.

  So here, Montero would qualify in most leagues through 2015. I consider that “staying at catcher”, especially if you are talking about fantasy baseball which you suposedly are doing.

However, I was mainly taking a shot on the commenter, as he was the one that stated the lack of a qualifier was simply “stronger more definitive writing”

I had the best offense in the league last year, even while having only 2 months of Cargo, no production from Sizemore, and injuries to Snider and Tulo. Of course, injuries happen to everyone, so we’ll see…

I finished 4th last year. My weakness is pitching. I have Felix, Liriano, Hamels, Garza, and traded Scott Baker + Brett Jackson for Brandon Morrow (whom I love) this offseason. My weakness is closers. Only have Storen and a host of guys who may or may not close (Kimbrel, Walden, Braddock, Runzler, Ceda, Zumaya)

The league places a huge value on closers, mostly accidentally. We instituted a maximum innings limit (1475 innings) and closers get a lot of points per inning (top closer got around 18-21 points per inning last year, top starters got 8.5-9.7) so my lack of closers is what’s killing me. We’re devaluing saves this year (top closers will be around 15-18 points per inning) but they’re still very valuable.

I’m leaning towards doing it too, though I could also move Montero for Verlander or Jered Weaver