Yankees’ News: Catcher Battle

The New York Yankees are set to have pitchers and catchers report today. Now that the Alex Rodriguez apology is over with, the media can stop making him the top head line. We can actually focus on the numerous moves made in the off-season and monitor the uncertainties of 2015. One of the big uncertainties is surrounding the backstop and there won’t be a clear answer until the end of spring training. We have a lot to look forward to and a lot to hold our breath for.

The big necessity at this point is to have the catchers step up and take a leadership role for the questionable rotation. Each catcher will need to learn the pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses. It will be important for them to emphasize each specific pitcher’s stuff and how to make it more effective.

Brian McCann is known for his defensive prowess and that was one of the big selling points when the Yanks brought him in. He can call a great game and lead the league in runners thrown out. However, there won’t be a consistent rotation at how it looks and there are even rumors of a six-pitcher rotation.

We have to wonder if the different personnel and the limited chance to work with them will create miscues. Also, if the starting catcher McCann struggles to adjust to the multiple faces then how can we expect *insert backup catcher here* to handle it?

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Outside of that McCann must take on the dreaded shift. The new defensive mentality of coaches has led to the league shifting at a much more rapid pace and we witnessed McCann’s numbers disappear in 2014 because of it. In Brendan Kuty’s article for Nj.com he discusses McCann having to become a more well-rounded hitter. McCann must take a more laid back approach at the plate and be willing to sit back and go to the opposite field. His pull heavy mentality has put him in a corner and his only way out is to adjust.

We will have to monitor the next three catchers on the depth chart and their spring training to see who might land the backup position. Francisco Cervelli was moved in the off-season which created room for John Ryan Murphy to compete with Austin Romine for the spot. Murphy had the stronger season in 2014 and shows higher upside with the bat. He is the favorite to win the spot and that leaves us wondering where Romine fits into the future plans.

Gary Sanchez has been the declared future for the Yankees for a long time and offers a lot potential. In 2015 he is slated to start at Triple-A and begin to flash his tools. We shouldn’t expect to see him as a regular in the beginning of 2015 but he does have a chance to make the major league roster at the end of the season.

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