well, as one of po's last defenders it is so that his defense is damn near abominable.
hopefully cashman has some plans b-d though.
another year of cervelli's mediocre catching and atrocious batting is nothing to look forward to.
hopefully at the least montero will get off to a good start either with the bat or catching - otherwise i think things could get ugly for him.
and hopefully the personal catcher bullshit will come to a screeching halt.

I am excited if the team really is going to be aggressive with Montero, but I have that sinking feeling we are in for 100-120 games of Cervelli.

Is there a Molina available to help mentor/catch? I here they can be dangerous in October. . .

Quick note on Cervelli: The dude had a terrible year defensively... as if he was channeling Posada himself. But I think people here should know in the Minors he was a fine defensive player, and even in a VERY poor year, he often showed outstanding quickness and agility (for a Catcher). I still believe he can be an above average defensive BUC.

That said...
We all know Cervelli is NOT in the running for the starting job.
We all know Romine is NOT in the running for the starting job. Maybe in 2 years, but the kid is just too inexperienced.
We all know that Montero is not exactly a wizard defensively, and while Po's defense is not a high standard to match, we really can't guess whether Montero will be better or not. We can only hope.

We all know this is simply about getting Montero's bat in the lineup, and too a great extend, seeing for we have a replacement for Po for at least a few years.

As bad as Po's D was, if he posts an .820 OPS or higher, he is still and above average producer, O and D combined. And there is always the hope that if surgery helps his knee health, he might be 'less bad' in 2011.

So there is really no competiton.
It's just a question of:
Can Montero hit MLB pitching and
Is he at least tolerable on Defense.

Also, the Yanks save a year on his clock by holding him back 2 months in 2011. Do you think that's the plan, or might he start the year with the club?

[2] I agree. Regardless of any other plans, Cervelli should not be a part of this team. He has no redeeming quality.

[4] Was he really a fine defensive player? I've been looking for scouting reports and haven't found anything to convince me last season was a fluke.

As for holding him back two months, I sure hope that doesn't factor into the plans, but after the "lose the battle" philosophy last season, I am not sure anymore what is at the core of the current administration.

AL DHs in 2010: .252/ .332/.425/.758
Posada in 2010: .248/.357/.454/.811

Let's hope a health(ier), less wear-and-tear Posada can improve upon those #s.

[4] We all know Cervelli is NOT in the running for the starting job.

Do we know this? Really? Cervelli was the starter last season, and Jumpin' Joe Girardi *seems* to have some love for the ol' defensive catcher. I suspect that Cervelli is very, very much in the running as the starter, and even if he ends up as the third catcher (because the team WILL carry three catchers next season...yay), he'll be moved into the starting role the first time Montero has a couple of passed balls.

If anyone is not in the discussion for starter, it's Romine.

[4] Dammit. I knew I would miss a tag in there someplace.

[8] Oh my God, I have broken the Banter.

[9] This is a banning offense!

Fixed yet?

[9] Jeez.... thank goodness you didn't BOLD anything....

FIXED!

I'm going to put the over/under on 100 games caught for Cervelli next year.

[14] I'll go under.

Is Cervelli really THAT bad at the plate?

[14],[15] I'll also go under. 80 games for Jesus, 60 for Jorge (too high?) and 22 for Frankie.

If one of the Yankees SPs start working with Montero exclusively, will Montero become their "Personal Jesus"?

(and wouldn't it be nifty if Montero used that for his at-bat music?)