Yanks Showing Off Their Catching Depth

4th straight day Yankees have used a catcher at DH. 1 scout said Yanks "clearly showcasing" org catching depth for poss trade for inf/relief
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) February 28, 2014

If you've paid any kind of attention to the first few ST lineups, you've noticed the trend that Erik Boland pointed out yesterday.  Not only have the Yankees been playing 2 catchers every game behind the plate, they've used the DH spot for a 3rd one.  Yesterday it was Brian McCann at catcher and Gary Sanchez at DH to start and each of them popped his first HR of the spring.  Today it's Cervelli behind the plate and McCann getting a day at DH.

There's been a lot of talk about the Yankees looking for more infield help on the trade market this week.  From Rickie Weeks and Gordon Beckham to the Arizona Diamondback's stash of young infielders, the Yanks don't appear to be as comfortable with what they have as they've stated publicly.  Arizona actually makes a lot of logical sense as a trade partner, as they are looking to add a young catcher, and the Yankees certainly appear to be putting their crop of catchers on full display for them and all other potentially interested trade partners.

 There's no need to rush into a deal for someone, but there's no harm in showcasing what's become the Yankees' greatest strength in terms of trade assets.  Someone from their top group of 5 catchers isn't going to be getting regular playing time when the season starts, so the best way for him to bring value to the team could be as a trade piece.  If this attempt to show off their goods ends up netting the Yankees a better second base option than what they've got right now, that would be a very good thing.

Pitchers And Catchers Report Date Prepper 2014: The Catchers

(Courtesy of Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News)

Today's the day.  As you read this, the late arrivals from the pitcher/catcher corps are showing up at the Tampa complex in preparation for tomorrow's first official team workout.  Spring Training has begun and baseball is officially back!  It's a little late to prep with the players already arriving, but I'm giving myself a 1-day grace period since the first workout isn't until tomorrow and covering the catchers today.  Behind the plate is one part of the roster where the Yankees have very good depth.  They've got no less than 4 catchers who could play every day at the Major League level right now if they needed to and their top organizational prospect waiting in the wings.  After the jump, the backstops who'll be appearing in ST this year.

The Yankees "Absolutely" Bringing Back Cervelli Has To Mean The End Of Chris Stewart ... Right?

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

With things heating up at the GM meetings and the Yankees being reported as the early favorites to land Brian McCann, Cash shed a little light on where the team's thoughts might be relative to the backup catcher position next year.  Talking to reporters yesterday, Cash said the Yankees will "absolutely" tender a contract to Francisco Cervelli this offseason.  Cervelli is in his first year of arbitration eligibility and MLBTR pegged him at an even $1 million for his projected salary next year, hardly a drop in the Yankee payroll bucket.

Whatever new deal the Yankees offer Cervelli will be in that range and Cash's stated commitment to make the offer should end any speculation about his future with the team after an injury and PED suspension-plagued 2013.  It should also come as a sign that the Chris Stewart era behind the plate is over, and regardless of what happens with McCann or any of the other free agent catchers on the market, that's great news.

Seriously, When Is Austin Romine Going To Get The Starting Catcher Job?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

It's been a little over a month since I pointed out the turnaround in Austin Romine's offensive game.  He started putting things together at the plate in July and finished with a stellar .333/.385/.500 batting line (.385 wOBA) in 26 plate appearances.  That performance has earned him a little more playing time in August - 37 PA in 10 games - and he hasn't missed a beat production-wise, hitting .310/.417/.448 (.381 wOBA) this month.  What's strange is that the dramatic increase in production at the plate has not earned Romine the same dramatic increase in PT.  The bulk of the work is still going to Chris Stewart, even as the trends for he and Romine are moving in completely different directions.

Yankees Still Generating Plenty Of Catching Depth

(Do it, Murph.  Courtesy of the AP)

There was a time not too long ago when the Yankees looked like they were going to be set at catcher for a long time to come.  They had Russell Martin as the immediate replacement for Jorge Posada, top prospects Jesus Montero and Austin Romine waiting in the wings at the upper levels of their farm system, and an 18-year-old kid named Gary Sanchez raking down in A-ball.

Fast forward to the present day and the catcher position is basically a wasteland.  Lifelong backup Francisco Cervelli is on the DL with a broken hand, which cruelly befell him just as he finally seemed to be nailing down the starting job.  His backup Chris Stewart is who we thought he was and who he's always been as an all field/no hit player whose defensive reputation always seems to outweigh what he actually does on the field.  And Romine, now forced into the backup role for Stewart, has looked awful in his real Major League debut, posting a .151 wOBA and -17 wRC+ and striking out 17 times in 61 PA.

Oh, and the once great savior Jesus has been traded to Seattle and demoted back to Triple-A after registering as a negative WAR player in almost a full season's worth of games.  Yep, things have taken quite the bad turn in the world of Yankee catchers.  And yet somehow the future still looks just as bright for them at the position as it did 2 years ago.

Thoughts On Cervelli's Injury

(Looks like he knew almost immediately.  Courtesy of the AP)

Concerns about the Yankees' catching contingent were constant this offseason after the team surprisingly allowed Russell Martin to walk.  The crew left behind, headlined by Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli, wasn't particularly deep or especially talented, at least based on career numbers.  The focus was always on how the 2-headed monster of Stewvelli would be able to replace the lost production of Martin, and never what the Yankees might have to do if one of them got hurt, which is surprising given the physical beating a catchers take.  Last night the team and the entire Yankosphere got slapped in the face with that reality when Cervelli left the game with a broken right hand.  He's scheduled for surgery today and will miss at least 6 weeks, leaving Stewart as the lone Major League catcher still standing and the Yankees with another injury obstacle to overcome.  After the jump, some thoughts on the injury and its impact.

Pitchers & Catchers Report Date Prepper: The Catchers

(TCS just doin' the damn thing!  Courtesy of Getty Images)

We're now just a handful of days away from the unofficial start of Spring Training and the unofficial start of baseball season.  Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to camp next Tuesday, and from there the dreariness and gray emotional cloud that hung over this offseason should start to disappear.  There are already players working out in Tampa, and reports coming in from beat writers about another guy showing up almost every day, but it will be real, really real, when the whole battery crew rolls into town on Tuesday.  Last week the Yankees released their list of non-roster invitees, and combined with the members of the 40-man roster there will be a bounty of pitchers and catchers in camp.  In preparation for those early ST festivities, let's take a look at the players who'll be arriving next week and what they have to offer, starting with the backstops.

Yankees' Commitment To Catching Defense Nothing New

(Hey look!  Good defense!  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Some time has passed since the shocker of Russell Martin signing with the Pirates, almost 1 month to be exact.  And in that time, the surprise factor of the move has barely worn off and the calls for the Yankees to make a trade or sign another catcher have continued to pour in from fans and writers alike.  The general consensus is that the underwhelming offensive trio of Francisco Cervelli, Chris Stewart, and Austin Romine isn't going to cut the mustard, and there's been little that the Yankee brass has said to change that perception.  Yesterday, Mike Eder of TYA wrote a piece on Romine's defensive skills and the high evaluation he's gotten from Mark Newman on those defensive skills that could signal good things for Romine's future in the organization.

While Newman's comments on Romine might not be surprising coming from someone on the Yankee payroll, they are consistent in terms of the emphasis the organization has put on defense behind the plate in recent years.  And as Mike pointed out, that commitment to defense could have been the deciding factor in letting guys like Martin and A.J. Pierzynski go and sticking with what the Yankees have.  It's frustrating given the team's apparent willingness to take an offensive hit at the position, but if this is the path the Yanks are going to take in 2013, they at least have to be commended for staying consistent in their decision making.