WasWatching.com

No love for Jose Tabata?

If that were to happen, though, it means players are getting blocked - which, along with having ML ready talent to cheaply fill positions, is a goal of a good farm system: trading away ML ready pieces that are blocked for pieces you need. 4 young, cheap outfielders would be a good thing, especially since our best hope for a future catcher is, what, 16 years old?

The future catcher is likely to be someone from outside the organization...hmmm...let me think...maybe whoever loses the Saltalamacchia/Laird battle longterm, especially with Teagarden coming up behind them. A good pitching prospect plus a secondary prospect ought to do it, now that Salty's stock has dropped to where it should've been all along.

The future catcher is just as likely to come from within as from free agency. There were some interesting catchers recently drafted, and the organization is still devoted to Montero as a catcher. So until he makes this presumed march to first base, he's a catcher. (My point is not to champion any catchers in the system -- it is to point out that it's totally unknown and can go either way.)

Gardner isn't in the same discussion as Jackson and Tabata. If the Yankees' future outfield features him, it means Melky got traded or Jackson or Tabata (or both) failed to make it big, which would be a shame. Also, Jackson has just as much centerfield range and skill as Gardner does -- maybe more once he becomes more experienced -- so I don't want to see Brett taking Jackson's job.

~~~No love for Jose Tabata?~~~

Gotta seem him to something, anything actually, at Double-A before you can even consider him as a big league player yet.

Yankees also have another young catcher named Austin Romine who is supposed to be pretty impressive.

Gotta seem him to something, anything actually, at Double-A before you can even consider him as a big league player yet.

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But Austin Jackson has just three at bats above single-A. By that standard, you shouldn't include Jackson in your outfield either.

Also, whether Melky Cabrera develops the power needed to play a corner outfield position in the major leagues, remains to be seen... and if Gardner's gonna play CF, you need to make up for his lack of power somehow.

Fair point on AJ. I thought he had more time above A-ball. On Melky, see this:

http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2006/06/defending_melky.html

Paul O'Neill was lucky, most season, to be near 20 HRs - and he was a fine RF. If Melky is a 15-18 HR guy, that's enough for a corner spot.

That's an interesting comp, and I can see Melky having 15-18 homers. But if Brett Gardner is going to be your CF, you need to make up that power somewhere- usually in corner OF or 1B. O'Neill was never a masher, but Bernie hit for a higher slugging percentage than Gardner ever will.

I see Brett Gardner's career matching Juan Pierre's... a lot of pub up front for his "throwback" style and his "grittiness," but after a couple above average seasons, he falls off, living on his reputation.