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Post by yanks27 on Aug 25, 2010 9:11:10 GMT -5
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Post by Lefteroo on Aug 25, 2010 9:43:11 GMT -5
Very informative. Thanks, Alan.
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Post by RJPinstripes on Aug 25, 2010 19:55:44 GMT -5
Very good info. here. Thanks yank27.
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Post by yanks27 on Aug 27, 2010 5:34:02 GMT -5
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Post by Lefteroo on Aug 27, 2010 7:55:24 GMT -5
I did not like the description of JR Murphy as being "not Jesus Montero bad" defensively. Hopefully, he meant at the entry level.
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Post by JohnM on Aug 27, 2010 8:12:51 GMT -5
I'm going to Allentown this Monday night to see Jesus Montero's catching with my own two eyes.
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Post by Lefteroo on Aug 27, 2010 8:43:08 GMT -5
Will be interested in your scouting report, John.
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Post by JohnM on Aug 29, 2010 8:14:29 GMT -5
Trentonian Q & A with Yankees hitting coordinator James Rowson Friday, August 20, 2010
By JOSH NORRIS Staff Writer
TRENTON — During the Thunder’s recently concluded with the Bowie Baysox, The Trentonian had a chance to speak with Yankees roving hitting coordinator, about the Thunder and some of the more talked-about players throughout the system.
Here’s what he had to say:
JN: What have you seen from guys like Austin Romine and Dan Brewer and Brandon Laird this season?
JR: These guys have done a great job all year, all three of those guys. At different points, obviously all of them have had success this year.
At different points of the year, these guys have gone through downs and ups and been able to get through them. Toward the end of the year now, they’re shining and doing what we think they’re capable of doing.
JN: What do they need to do to keep away from the ups and downs, to get some more consistency?
JR: With these guys, when you get to this level, it’s a lot of experience, at-bats and game plan. The more pitchers you face, the different types and styles of pitchers, they’ll get more comfortable with setting a game plan to face more pitchers. At this point, it’s really experience more than anything else.
JN: Specifically, with Romine, has he done what you wanted him to do at this level?
JR: No doubt about it. Romine’s had a really good year this year. Like I said, this is the first year he’s caught a lot of games, he’s played a lot of defense. He hasn’t done that in the past. He’s been able to maintain his offense.
Yes, he gone through a lot of ups and downs throughout the year, but he’s battled through them. At this point, he’s right where we’d like him to be. I’m happy with what he’s done this year.
JN: What have you seen from Melky Mesa? What kind of progress has he made, and do you think he’s ready for Double-A next season?
JR: He’s made outstanding progress this year. He’s had a really solid season at Tampa. He had a spurt last year where he had a really good season in Charleston at some point. We’re looking forward to him being able to conquer Double-A at some point.
When that move happens, obviously that’s going to be an organizational decision, but we look forward to, when that move happens, he’ll be able to compete well here.
JN: Same deal with Slade Heathcott and J.R. Murphy. What’s their progress been like this year at Charleston?
JR: We just want them to adapt. They’re young players coming into the organization, and this year we just kind of let those guys play and show their ability, show their talents and adapt to playing pro ball.
It definitely takes some time coming from high school to adapt to pro ball and the life style and the bus rides and everything else that goes along with playing baseball.
Really, we’re excited about those guys. They’re talented, and we want them to get as many at-bats and just adapt to pro baseball as good as possible.
JN: With Murphy, who’s coming out of a baseball factory like The Pendleton School, do you expect that adjustment period to be shorter?
JR: You know, you can’t tell. Murphy’s a really, really polished kid, in a way. He’s very polished, knows how to go about his business, does things very professional, goes about things the right way.
But you never can tell, it’s just going to be, when you come into the game and start getting at-bats, you start facing competition, and we’ll let the game tell us where he is as a player.
JN: What are the early returns on Gary Sanchez, who just got promoted to Staten Island?
JR: Really talented young player. He can impact the baseball. He impacts the baseball as well as anybody we have. He’s fun to watch, a really talented young player. Right now, he’s done well in the GCL. We just want to let him progress and see how he goes from year to year.
There’s no rush. The thing’s going to be, just dominate every level, and as you move forward we’ll take it as it goes. It’s really exciting to see what he does, because you can’t teach what he does. He’s just a talented athlete.
JN: How does he compare to Jesus Montero when he was that age?
JR: It’s very close. They both are plus-plus bats. Both of those guys swing bats – I’ve been doing this for a little while in baseball – and those are two of the best young bats I’ve seen. Sanchy’s right there with Jesus Montero, so let’s just see what time does for them.
JN: Speaking of Montero, he struggled early in the year and now is raking. What changed?
JR: It’s just what we were talking about, it’s the adjustment period. There was no doubt that Jesus Montero was going to hit in Triple-A. The guy’s going to hit in the major leagues.
He’s a good hitter, he has a knack for putting the barrel on the ball. They pitched him a little differently; he had to learn how to deal with some of the offspeed pitches and the ways he pitched. (There are) experienced pitchers facing him now, (and) he’s adapted this season. He’s right where we want him to be. He’s a good hitter, and he’s proven it.
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Post by yanks27 on Aug 29, 2010 11:11:04 GMT -5
Good find John. Encouraging signs on Montero and Sanchez.
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Post by FastEddie on Sept 25, 2010 7:32:45 GMT -5
Hopefully, I'll get to see this kid Sanchez next summer when the Sand Dogs come to Asheville. He's only 17 years old!
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Post by yanks27 on Jan 12, 2011 7:42:36 GMT -5
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Post by yanks27 on Jan 30, 2011 9:34:17 GMT -5
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Post by rags on Jan 30, 2011 12:05:02 GMT -5
Here's the most interesting part of the interview: JN: With Montero, obviously the questions are with his defense. I know the Yankees believe he can catch right now. How far does the organization believe he has to go before its certain he can catch long-term. BC: We believe he can catch, and we believe he can catch long-term. JN: What are you and the organization seeing, then, that perhaps other organizations are missing when it comes to Montero’s defensive abilities? BC: He’s come a long way. The defensive side is something he’s had to work on a long time. I’d liken it separately to a guy like Wade Boggs, who came through the farm system of the Red Sox, always hit, but people said he can’t play defense. He ultimately turned himself into a perennial Gold Glove-winning third baseman. Hard work can close the gap on deficiencies. Derek Jeter made 56 errors in the South Atlantic League. … The minor leagues is (where you) work out your problems, and he’s certainly closing the gap. He’s not there yet, but he’s pretty damn close. We believe he’s better than some starting catchers, defensively, in the big leagues right now. OK, if this is true, I wonder how we could possibly have offered Montero in a trade for anybody short of Felix Hernandez or Josh Johnson. Almost everybody agrees that Montero should be a consistent .300 hitter with 30 HR's. That would make him one of the best hitting catchers in baseball history. If he can do even a half-way decent job defensively, you can't afford to trade him, certainly not for a two-month rental of Cliff Lee and certainly not for a set up guy, even one as good as Soria. I understand that we also have Romine and Sanchez, but Romine is not in Montero's class as a hitter (and that's not a knock) and Sanchez is still 3 years away from the majors.
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Post by JohnM on Feb 1, 2011 13:47:56 GMT -5
Rags, I had a little chuckle the first time I read Ca$h comments. He seems all over the place in recent months. Just not the consistent Ca$h we've grown to know over the years.
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Post by rags on Feb 1, 2011 14:21:35 GMT -5
Of course, it's also possible that the Yanks have privately decided that Montero won't be good enough to catch in the majors and that Cashman is just pumping up his trade value. I hope that's not the case, but it would at least make sense of Cashman's various statements and actions.
Frankly, I agree with Keith Law that Montero could be such a good hitter that he's worth keeping even if just winds up as a DH.
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Post by DavidL on Feb 2, 2011 8:06:00 GMT -5
That's the thing, rags - EVERYTHING I've heard about Montero is that he's going to be a once in a generation kind of hitter - you don't care (at least not much) if he can't play ANY position. That he might be at least a passable catcher is just gravy. Of course, from what I've heard about how hard he's working to improve his defensive skills makes me more optimistic that he will be a decent, if not better, catcher. With a monster bat.
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Post by yanks27 on Feb 3, 2011 4:59:02 GMT -5
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Post by Lefteroo on Feb 3, 2011 10:28:19 GMT -5
Great stuff, Alan, thank you.
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Post by yanks27 on Feb 8, 2011 5:36:37 GMT -5
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Post by adam on Mar 2, 2011 16:56:21 GMT -5
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