According to PeteAbe, Francisco Cervelli will be demoted today or tomorrow to make room for Jose Molina. Cervelli will be missed by the Yankees, as he was an awesome teammate and a pretty good young catcher. Here’s what Joe Girardi said of Cervelli:
"He's been a big lift for us. To have two catchers go down in a span of days and the streak we ran of when both of them were gone, Cervy has proven he can play at this level," Girardi said. "He brings a lot to the table behind the dish and offensively he contributed. I'm excited about his future."
Cervelli hit .269/.284/.346 in 75 at bats with the Yankees. He also threw out 10 of 21 base stealers (48%). He also showed his aggressiveness by running down the first baseline to back up the throw to first, showed amazing energy for a 21-year-old and was appreciated by all pitchers.
Molina’s offensive numbers are slightly better (.273/.333/.386), but actually has lower defensive numbers. He already has two passed balls, while Cervelli has none, and has only thrown out 4 of 17 base stealers (24%) this season. However, he does have a 41% success rate for his career.
I’m willing to sacrifice a tiny ounce of offense for a better defender and a better teammate. I know Molina is the one making $2 million this season and Cervelli just $400,700, but this is a disgrace. The Yankees should have traded Molina for someone, ANYONE, just to keep Cervelli on the team. Molina would be a formidable backup on just about any team, so it would not be too hard to find a new home for him.
I’ll miss Cervelli, and wish him a quick return to the majors.
