Francisco Cervelli's throws into CF, Russell Martin struggling at the dish... Many Yankee's fans feel this can all be fixed in one way: giving Jesus Montero the big call to the Bronx.
Montero has had a questionable season, based on the way you prefer your stats. For SABR "geeks" like myself, Montero has been subpar, notching a .338 wOBA through 70 games. What's perhaps most alarming is his strikeout rate. In 2009, Montero struck out just 12.1% of the time, a very good rate. Yet in 2010 and through 2011, he has regressed to a 22.7% strike out rate, slightly below MLB average. His wOBA per year has also steadily decreased about .30 points per year since 2009. For the record, 2010 was Montero's first year at the AAA level, and he is still in Scranton as of July 6th, 2011.
Yet, when looking at Francisco Cervelli's troubles and Russell Martin's recent slump, Montero doesn't seem that bad. Francisco Cervelli has totaled -0.2 WAR this season, hitting just .214 with a horrendous .258 wOBA. Martin has also come back down to earth, after a torrid April in which he had .423 wOBA, he hit .200 in May, .185 in June, and .105 so far in July. What's the reason for his struggles? It really could be anybody's guess...
Montero's triple slash traditional line is .287/7/33. To any basic fan of the game, those are poor numbers all around through 70 games. It should be noted that Montero struggled early last year, then turned it on for the 2nd half of the season.
The big question is will Montero produce at the level of Francisco Cervelli and/or Russel Martin in the big leagues? Clearly, this is tough to answer. At this point in time, Montero is struggling, and it doesn't appear it will suddenly change. Yet, if he turns it on in the 2nd half of the season again, and Russell Martin continues to struggle at the dish, he deserves a call up. Until then, when he shows us that he can produce (again) at the AAA level, Scranton will be his home.
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