That bat that made Baseball America rank him as the third overall prospect heading into this season looks more than ripe after spending the last two seasons beating up opposing pitchers at the Yankees AAA affiliate, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and, speaking long-term, it would appear that the AL East-leading Bombers (now two and a half ahead of suddenly-slumping Boston) just added another significant piece to their already talent-laden puzzle.
Montero’s contribution to the team, should it continue to be as the right-handed DH, comes in one of the few non-all-star spots this juggernaut could upgrade, albeit not for the too distant future, considering they owe 35-year-old right-handed-hitting Alex Rodriguez, and his 50+ games lost to injury this year, in excess of $140 million through 2017.
Meanwhile, his inclusion near the bottom of, arguably, the league’s best lineup gives him the protection not all future stars have when they step into the tough-to-fill franchise-savior’s shoes. Even better, they didn’t have to commit to an eight-figure deal and surrender a first-round pick—behavior the team is best known for.
The surprising thing is, building from within isn’t really out of the norm for the big-market New Yorkers and their aptly named GM, Brian Cashman. Overshadowed by their extravagant free-agent spending, the Yanks’ farm system has produced more stars over the last decade than some think.
Among the enviable home-growns on the current roster are 28-year-old three-time all-star second baseman Robinson Cano, speedy leadoff hitter (in most lineups anyway) Brett Gardner with his league-leading 42 steals, while five-time World Series Champion mainstays Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera represent how the team has built this latest dynasty.
Current roster aside, the players they dealt to get center fielder Curtis Granderson, and his 38 home runs and AL-leading 109 RBIs, include former first-round pick and current NL Cy Young Award contender Ian Kennedy (18–4, 2.96 ERA) as well as former eighth-round pick and 2010 ROY runner-up Austin Jackson. Even the once-dominant Joba Chamberlain (still just 25 years old) was snagged by them at the end of the supplemental first round in 2006—16 rounds before they stole setup man David Robertson and his pristine 1.28 ERA.
The value of those high picks of course came to a bit of a head last off-season when Cashman reportedly was not in favor of giving one up to sign setup man and Type-A free agent Rafael Soriano. Whatever Montero’s future impact is, Cashman knows how his dynasty was built—from within.
