Francisco Cervelli Making Bid for 2010 Roster

Another walk-off, another come from behind win.  Another hero. While the news and blogosphere swirl with concern about another Yankee rotation failing in the postseason, the Yankees themselves chug chug chug along. The last ten games for the Yankees haven't been a particularly encouraging run and yet, they're 6-4 over that span. On Wednesday, the Yankees followed up the previous night's brawl with another walk-off win, this time from the third string catcher. Francisco Cervelli has spent the last four seasons in the Yankees minor league system.  He has never been projected as the next Mike Piazza, but then Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round as a favor to Tommy Lasorda. Cervelli may never be confused for the former Met at the plate, but he can certainly hold his own behind it. Cervelli made his first appearance for the big club as a September call up in 2008, long after the Yankees season was over.  He had spent most of the season on the disabled list, the result of a spring training collision at the plate when the Tampa Bay Rays Elliot Johnson dropped his shoulder and bowled over Cervelli, breaking his right wrist. The Yankees were livid.  While Brian Cashman has spent the better part of the last few years collecting catchers for the minor league system, Cervelli resided at number three on the depth chart, an important position considering the ages of Jorge Posada and his backup, Jose Molina. Bad turned to worse as Jorge Posada's shoulder problems became worse that originally thought, forcing the veteran catcher to shutdown his season in prep for 2009.  Chad Moeller, a journeyman catcher became Molina's backup, until even Molina suffered a brief stint on the DL. In a last ditch effort to save the season, Cashman acquired Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers just before the trade deadline for struggling reliever Kyle Farnsworth.  Pudge failed to find the fountain of youth and the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. All Francisco Cervelli could was watch from the sidelines, his opportunity missed and wrist in a cast because a floundering Rays prospect had to prove his grit with his shoulder rather because he couldn't with his bat. A year later, opportunity has knocked again for Cervelli and this time he was healthy.  Jose Molina went down for more than a month in May with a quad strain, while Jorge Posada went down almost simultaneously with a strained hamstring.  Suddenly, the door opened for Cervelli again, only this time he became the Yankees starting catcher for almost a month. Cervelli performed better than the Yankees could have expected.  His offensive numbers weren't great, but defensively he exceeded his reputation as a good backstop and was behind the plate as the Yankees starters began to right the ship from their struggles in April. Cervelli also played with a fire and intensity that got fans excited.  It's easy to confuse enthusiasm with performance, but Cervelli's approach seemed to rub off on the other players.  It can't reasonably be said that Cervelli's excitement at catching at the big league level made the team better, but his presence certainly didn't hurt. Cervelli's stint with the big club from May through the All Star break may have signaled the end of Jose Molina's tenure with the Yankees as backup catcher.  Molina has been the most solid catcher the Yankees have had in the backup role since Posada himself and Joe Girardi slowly swapped positions during the 1990's championship runs.  Indeed, Molina has proven himself time and again to be an excellent defensive backstop, even at his advancing age. Molina will be 35 next season and has shown some signs of breaking down.  He isn't made for the rigors of playing everyday and has admitted that he doesn't train for it.  Offensively, Molina has been passable given his role and lack of catching depth in the major leagues, but he is way below league average. Cervelli has been below league average, too, but he's only 23 years old.  He has the potential to improve, maybe not dramatically, but enough to give the Yankees a strong defensive backup who can handle the bat decently. It could be a short-lived run for Cervelli depending on how the rest of the Yankees farm system develops:

1. Jesus Montero is a 19 year old offensive beast who made the jump from single A Advanced to AA and barely missed a beat.  He projects as one of the best prospects in the game right now but there are doubts about whether he can catch at the major league level because of his size and skills.  Montero is listed at 6' 4" 225 lbs, which means you can probably add another ten to twenty pounds to that total.  If he's able to field his position at even a little below average level, the Yankees would be thrilled to plug his bat in that position in a couple of years.

2. Austin Romine is 20 years old this season and projects as the more rounded player when combining offensive and defensive skills.  He's strong behind the plate and good hitter with promises of power.  He had a good year at the single A Advanced level and hopefully will get a look at AA next season.

Cervelli's long term position with the Yankees is directly tied to the success of Montero and Romine.  Many scouts have predicted that Montero isn't long for the catching position, but with first base blocked and concerns about his speed in the outfield, the Yankees are determined (and rightfully so) to try and keep his powerful bat at the typically weak hitting catcher position. For now, Cervelli seems to be a lock to take over Jose Molina's position, who's contract runs out after this year.