Corporan, Romine Not Going Down Quietly

The forgone conclusion heading into spring training this season was that Gary Sanchez was going to be the Yankees backup catcher heading into the 2016 season.New York sold us all on a catchers competition with Carlos Corporan, Austin Romine and Sanchez but it was originally thought to be a competition in name only. Sanchez makes perfect sense for the 2016 team so why wouldn't he be the favorite? He's right-handed and can give both Brian McCann and Alex Rodriguez rest throughout the season and can add doubles and home run power rather than a defense only type like Corporan and Romine but what makes the most sense on paper doesn't always happen in real life.

Romine has shown some bat consistency this spring hitting three doubles in his first 18 at-bats while his defense and throwing game is much improved this spring. Meanwhile Corporan has what Sanchez and Romine don't have, true MLB experience. Corporan has 232 games under his belt with three teams in six seasons but he also owns just a .118 batting average in 17 at-bats this spring.

The Yankees may be more inclined to give Corporan the job if he earns it since he has a late-March opt-out date written into his minor league contract while Romine could be designated for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster. Romine is out of minor league options as Corporan is so either one or both will have to make the team or both will have to be passed through waivers and allowed the opportunity to play elsewhere and/or hit free agency.

it is worth mentioning that if Sanchez spends more than 35 days down in the minor leagues the Yankees could delay his free agency by a season and give either Romine or Corporan an extended look at the MLB level. Will the Yankees give the job to Sanchez straight out of camp or will they save a few dollars and delay his free agency by a season like a small market team does? Either way it looks like Sanchez is the catcher of the future so the end will always justify the means, at least in this situation.

Meet a Prospect: Carlos Corporan

The latest member of the New York Yankees second wave of reinforcements is former Texas Rangers backup catcher Carlos Corporan. After tweeting out “Corpy Day” on every day that he got to start in Texas the young catcher will look to bring his talents and awesome tweeting skills to the Bronx after signing a minor league deal with the club. Corporan will receive an invitation to spring training and will compete directly with Austin Romine and Gary Sanchez for the honor of backing up Brian McCann this coming season. Many of you may know Corporan already but for those who don’t allow me to introduce you to the latest New York Yankee. This is Meet a Prospect, the Carlos Corporan Edition.

Carlos Fernando Corporan was born on January 7, 1984 in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. Even as a young child Corporan stated he wanted to play professional baseball when he grew up and he took that mindset with him to Lake City Community College where he played for the school’s baseball team. Corporan was a shortstop then but it was at Lake City where he converted to a catcher and caught the attention of the Milwaukee Brewers who took him in the 12^th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball First Year Players Draft.

Corporan stayed in the Milwaukee farm system until finally getting his first call up to the Major Leagues in 2009 after Mike Rivera sprained his ankle and was forced to the disabled list. Corporan got a single at bat with the Brewers and made the most of his opportunity as he laced his first MLB hit off shortstop Paul Janish. After the 2009 season Corporan filed for free agency and ended up signing a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks with a similar invitation to spring training. Corporan spent the 2010 season with Arizona before latching on with the Houston Astros for the 2011 season on yet another minor league deal and another invitation to spring training.

Corporan played sparingly for the Astros in 2011 and 2012 before getting his first real shot at the major league level in 2013. Corporan played in a total of 64 games that season and hit for a .225 batting average with seven home runs and 20 RBI. That was enough to warrant one more season in Houston before being designated for assignment before the 2015 season. The Rangers acquired Corporan after the DFA and Corpy spent the season backing up Robinson Chirinos before electing for free agency once again this season. That is when the New York Yankees and Brian Cashman came calling with another minor league deal and yet another invitation to spring training.

Good luck Corpy and welcome to the family.

Weekly Check In: Austin Romine

Thursday’s Weekly Prospect Check Ins have been a bit of a revolving door this season and I kind of like leaving that door open a bit. This means that once a week we can check in with a various Yankees farm hand that we normally wouldn’t have but at the same time we’re not tied down to them if they are injured or not playing so well. Last week we used the opportunity to check in with first baseman Kyle Roller who was announced as an All-Star for the Triple-A Game representing the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders so this week I figured we’d check in on his teammate that will be joining him, Austin Romine.

Romine is a member of the RailRiders after losing a not so fierce battle with John Ryan Murphy in spring training over the backup catcher position but Romine has made the most of it. Romine has hit for a little power this season, which surprised me a bit to be honest, and while he’ll likely never be a .300 average hitter he hasn’t let the demotion sap his confidence and let it affect him on the field. Romine is still the next in line if the Yankees were to need another catcher and Austin knows this which may be keeping his spirits a bit high.

Here is the stat line that made Austin Romine an All-Star in 2015:

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	AAA	61	253	34	63	16	6	33	19	34	.275	.336	.424	.760

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Who Wins the Backup Catcher Job?

Possibly the most interesting competition this spring is the competition for the backup catcher position, and not for the reasons you may think. Heading into camp it was almost a foregone conclusion that John Ryan Murphy would win the job over Austin Romine this spring and would backup Brian McCann when the team heads north for Opening Day. Many believed on various blogs and Twitter that Romine would simply be kept on the spring roster until the last possible second to better his chances of clearing through waivers since he is out of options so the Yankees could stash him back in Triple-A without the 40 man roster obligation. A monkey wrench was thrown into those plans when the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres showed interest in acquiring Romine and now the team may be rethinking their original stance on their backup catcher this season.

Murphy has a minor league option remaining while Romine does not so the team could conceivably start the season with Romine on the bench and Murphy down in Scranton. This would give the team, and other teams, more time to evaluate Romine before making a decision on his future. Romine could come out and hit the ball well, because his defense has never been questioned, and increase his trade stock or stick with the team making the Yankees look like geniuses. Romine could also come out and stink up the place offensively and would be easier to pass through waivers and keep in the organization a month or two into the season when most teams have their rosters fairly set.

If the Yankees go that route then you have to wonder what it does to Murphy and his confidence. We have seen it too many times before that this Yankees regime keeps prospects down in the minor leagues too long, Jesus Montero needs an ice cream sandwich, and they seemingly get bored, discouraged, uninterested or all of the above. Murphy showed a great talent and knack for the game last year and at least an adequate bat with room to grow, something I have never seen from Romine at the major league level, and would have to be somewhat discouraged if sent down. I’m not saying simply trade Romine just for the heck of it, especially after already trading Francisco Cervelli this offseason, but a trade may be better for all parties involved. Romine would get a fresh start and an actual opportunity while Murphy continues to develop into a MLB catcher behind McCann in the Bronx. It’s a win, win for all in my book, the problem is nobody’s ever read my book.