Throughout New York Yankees history there’s been a fairly smooth transition at the catcher position. From 1928 to 1979, the linkage was Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard and Thurman Munson, essentially uninterrupted. Save for the 2013 season, the Yankees have been pretty fortunate with the production they’ve received from their receivers since the early 1990s.
With Brian McCann passing the baton to Gary Sanchez, the Yankees are blessed again with a solid all-around backstop. The biggest question isn’t if Sanchez and his production can hold up for an entire season; he’s a 24-year-old kid, he’ll live. What’s most interesting is what they’ll be getting in depth from the position.
Even if Sanchez equals or slightly surpasses his 20 home run output of 2016, there’s still the matter of making up for McCann’s 20 bombs from last season. Yes, Matt Holiday will pick up some slack at designated hitter but what will the Yankees get behind Sanchez at the backup catcher spot?
Austin Romine
After toiling at triple-A, Romine proved he could stick in the show. Although he had his moments for sure, the Yankees backup backstop put up about a quarter of the production of Sanchez in nine more games. Assuming Sanchez catches between 130-140 games, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for Romine. Hence, perhaps Romine’s 2016 output would be more than adequate for his playing time in 2017.
Kyle Higashioka
Next up on the Yankees depth chart is Higashioka. Higashioka is a nice story, grinding through the organization since entering as an 18-year-old kid in 2008. Between double-A and triple-A last season, he combined for 21 bombs. However, he also did so at age 26, so we’ll see how and if it translates to the big league level and if Higashioka is a late bloomer.
Jorge Saez
Saez is a non-roster invitee from the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Saez, 25, hit .232 with six home runs at double-A New Hampshire last season.
Francisco Diaz is also another non-roster invitee at camp.
Beyond those players, you’re reaching down to Donny Sands, who’s ranked No. 26 on the Yankees’ top prospect list. Given how Sands is 20 and played last season with the Pulaski Yankees, he still has a long way to travel through the farm system.
Perhaps the Yankees kick the tires on another prospect from another time in Dioner Navarro, who could help mentor Sanchez and give the team added experience as a backup.
In any event, the club should be in great shape with Sanchez. It also doesn’t hurt to have some insurance.
