Wait - what?
It is way too early, of course, to pronounce Jesus Montero a bust, or to declare that the New York Yankees' belief in his potential....was a delusion exposed by the first light of spring....(b)ut there is no other way to look at his demotion on Monday back to Triple-A...as anything but a blown opportunity.
So he's not a bust....but he's a bust?
Sorry, but I'm pretty sure that the Yankees' signing of Russel Martin meant that Montero's odds of breaking camp with the big league team were pretty slim. And it makes sense. They had a decent starter, and a decent backup (Cervelli), so why not delay his arbitration clock and the hype monster? With any luck, both Montero and the team will start strong, leading to a call-up sometime in May or June accompanied by reasonable expectations and good feelings.
Kind of like how it worked out with Joba Chamberlain.....
- This is a bit long, but our friends over at The Good Phight have a nice primer on one of the little-known pioneers of sabermetrics....Branch Rickey?
- Mike Mussina is throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day, but why stop there? Moose is three years removed from a 4.4 WAR season, the best by a non-Sabathia Yankee in about 5 years.
- Bingo is for your grandma, so we have a better alternative. Don't forget to weigh in.