Baseball America Ranks Montero Baseball's 5th Best Prospect

Baseball America's John Manuel ranks his top 20 prospects in baseball for SI.com and Yankees catcher, Jesus Montero, came in at number five.

Why he's here: The minors' best hitter, Montero gets compared to Mike Piazza as a catcher whose hitting tools far outstrip his defense. The Yankees don't see him as Jorge Posada's heir because his defense is on par with Piazza's or worse.

What he'll be: Because he's likely to move out from behind the plate, Montero should be a first baseman or DH primarily. Other ex-catchers with premium bats such as Paul Konerko and Carlos Delgado leap to mind.

When he arrives: New York's offseason moves will dictate whether Montero spends all season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre or moves up to the big leagues as a part-time catcher and DH.

I realy hope this kid can learn how to be a good defensive catcher. If he's limited to 1B or DH I really wonder what kind of future he has with this team. Between Mark Teixeira and all the aging vets who could need time at DH in the future (Posada, A-Rod, Jeter) there might not be much room for him. His best opportunity to find an open spot may actually be this year.