Newman: Jesus Montero to AAA, Austin Romine to AA

Written by Greg Fertel | 21 December 2009

Chad Jennings checked in with Yankees' Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Newman, who gave us some new developments regarding Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. They discussed some changes Montero has made defensively that have made him more effective back there.

Because of this, Newman tells us the Yankees think Montero is ready for Triple-A. I am a bit surprised at this, given that Montero only got 181 plate appearances in Trenton. I guess it's obvious his bat is ready, but I would've preferred to start him in Trenton, where he has a better chance to get off to a good start and build some confidence up.

With the AA catcher hole opening up, Austin Romine will be the starting catcher for Trenton on opening day. After a successful season in Tampa where Romine saw his stock rise, this doesn't come as a surprise. I was thinking that they'd both start in Trenton this season, with Montero vying for the quick call up to Triple-A.

The fact that the Yankees have two upper-echelon catching prospects at the two top levels of their farm system bodes well for their future at the position. Jorge Posada has two seasons left on his contract, but barring injury, Montero will be joining him in the majors in 2011. Montero is just a few injuries away from a call up in 2010 considering that he's starting the year at Triple-A. The Yankees are showing a ton of faith in their number one prospect; all we can do is wait, watch, and see if he lives up to the hype.