12/31/11

New York Yankees 2012 Top 10 Prospects List



1. Jesus Montero, C – 11/28/1989, H: 6’4″ W: 225 lbs – (Mike Koepp’s take) Jesus Montero was signed to a $1.65 Million contract in 2006. The 16 year old started his first professional season the following year and has shown the Yankees he is worth every penny of his contract. Perhaps he was a steal for that price? .280 AVE, 3 HR, 19 RBI in rookie ball, combined .337 AVE with 347 at-bats split between High-A and Double-A. Plus he owned Triple-A with 21 HR. The Yankees knew the now 21-year-old was ready. His MLB debut in 2011 only consisted of 69 plate appearances, .328 AVE, 4 HR, 12 RBI but was impressive considering the caliber of the pitching he faced.

Our Instinct(Tom Belmont’s take) Montero came in at #1 on our 2011 Top 100 List based on his advanced bat at a young age and making it all the way to Triple-A as a catcher. As we said in his Prospect Instinct, as perfect storm of events have led to him being in line for a shot at the catchers position in the Bronx. His contact ability is elite regardless of where he plays. He’ll have above average power as a 20-something and elite level power in his prime. How long he actually sticks at catcher is dependent of how well Joe Girardi and Tony Pena are able to cultivate him. But those two are the reason for my optimism of a future average regular on defense and glowing reviews on offense.

the rest of the list...  http://baseballinstinct.com/2011/12/23/new-york-yankees-2012-top-10-prospects-list/ 

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