Which Catcher has been the biggest surprise?
Francisco Cervelli (NYY) - 4 votes
Omir Santos (NYM) - 3 votes
I like both players a lot, but I have to agree with the voting. Cervelli has been an adequate replacement for Jorge Posada. His defense is top notch. He has speed behind the plate to get in front of bouncing pitches and a strong arm to challenge the fastest runners. Another aspect to his game is how well he is handling every pitcher he's caught. Cervelli keeps pitchers in the game through bad innings and is extremely calm for a 23-year old rookie from AA Trenton.
The other impressive thing about Cervelli is that he was hitting only .190 in AA, but improved as soon as he got to the majors. Right now, he's at .370 with a .393 on-base and 3 RBIs. He's also beat out a few ground balls -- something that hasn't been seen in a Yankee catcher in a long time.
That being said, I will take nothing away from Omir Santos. He does a lot of the same things Cervelli does. His averages aren't as good as Cervelli's, but he's played in 12 more games. However, he does have 12 RBIs, which is a lot more than what was expected of Brian Schneider. Last season, Schneider had 38 RBI in 335 at-bats. Santos has about a third of that in 55 at-bats -- 280 less at-bats than Schneider. Wow...
But he gets a little less credit from me because of who he had to replace compared to the player Cervelli stepped in for. Brian Schneider is awful. It doesn't take much to play better than him. On the other hand, Jorge Posada is a borderline Hall of Fame catcher and a Yankee legend. Cervelli has taken Posada's role admirably.
Next poll question: Which point guard is the best fit for the Knicks at the 8th overall pick?
--Max Caster
Francisco Cervelli (NYY) - 4 votes
Omir Santos (NYM) - 3 votes
I like both players a lot, but I have to agree with the voting. Cervelli has been an adequate replacement for Jorge Posada. His defense is top notch. He has speed behind the plate to get in front of bouncing pitches and a strong arm to challenge the fastest runners. Another aspect to his game is how well he is handling every pitcher he's caught. Cervelli keeps pitchers in the game through bad innings and is extremely calm for a 23-year old rookie from AA Trenton.
The other impressive thing about Cervelli is that he was hitting only .190 in AA, but improved as soon as he got to the majors. Right now, he's at .370 with a .393 on-base and 3 RBIs. He's also beat out a few ground balls -- something that hasn't been seen in a Yankee catcher in a long time.
That being said, I will take nothing away from Omir Santos. He does a lot of the same things Cervelli does. His averages aren't as good as Cervelli's, but he's played in 12 more games. However, he does have 12 RBIs, which is a lot more than what was expected of Brian Schneider. Last season, Schneider had 38 RBI in 335 at-bats. Santos has about a third of that in 55 at-bats -- 280 less at-bats than Schneider. Wow...
But he gets a little less credit from me because of who he had to replace compared to the player Cervelli stepped in for. Brian Schneider is awful. It doesn't take much to play better than him. On the other hand, Jorge Posada is a borderline Hall of Fame catcher and a Yankee legend. Cervelli has taken Posada's role admirably.
Next poll question: Which point guard is the best fit for the Knicks at the 8th overall pick?
--Max Caster
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