For some reason, the New York Yankees want nothing to do with slugging catcher A.J. Pierzynski, so Austin Romine looks to have the catching job in the Bronx at the start of the 2013 season.
Jon Heyman, of CBSsports.com, reported yesterday afternoon, via Twitter, that the Yankees were not sold on Pierzynski.
Though Pierzynski would have been a great fit as he proves every season that he is a capable hitter and back stop, I can't be upset about the Yankees making this decision.
So who is Romine? Pretty sure a lot of Yankee fans don't know who this guy is.
You mean to tell me a nobody is going to be in the Yankees starting lineup?
Yes, since the Yankees have decided to break out of their traditional mold, they will be relying on somebody young and from their own farm system for the first time since Brett Gardner broke through as a position player.
Romine is 24 years old and played for the Pinstripes in 2011 at the age of 22. That season he made 20 plate appearances, scored two runs, hit three singles and walked once.
Inexplicably so, the Yankees kept Romine in the minors for the entire 2012 season. Makes no sense, but what done is done.
While in the minors in 2012, Romine hit .243 in 31 games and 103 at bats. He had four homers and 15 RBI. He had a solid season in 2008 when as a 20-year-old he hit .300 in 104 games with 10 home runs and 49 RBI. He followed that season up with even more production hitting .276, 13 home runs and 72 RBI.
Maybe that would have been a good time for the Yankees to boost him halfway into the season to Easton and allow him to get a stink in the majors, but the Yankees were too busy watching Jorge Posada rot away.
Romine's numbers were nothing like his 2008 and 2009 numbers following his MLB stint in 2011.
Though the Yankees are typically a club that has always sought after experienced players, this is a good move. Nobody knows what Romine is ready to do at the major league level. However, he looks to be a defense presence rather than an offensive force.
As the rest of the Yankee lineup features players in the twilight of their career, guys like Romine and Robinson Cano have a chance of becoming the faces of this team following the departures of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.
It's great that the Yankees organization is willing to give Romine a chance. However, it will be hard to sell tickets, pricey tickets at that with an unknown rookie behind the plate. Yankee fans have been spoiled by superstar acquisitions. They will have to cringe and suck up the fact that management is not trying to spend. This will allow fans to see what their farm system is all about. If they have anything left there.
Fans don't worry, if Romine is a bust, he will be backed up by Francisco Cervelli, a player popular in the Bronx because of his blue collar style of playing the game.
