Erick Almonte

[Ryguy22984]

I've seen this guy's name a lot of times before but thats about all I know about him. Could someone tell me a little about him, his talent, and his future with the Yankees?

[Michaels07]

Erick Almonte Shortstop:Age 24 ,HT 6.2 Wt 180 Th R.B.R
Has power to all fields and improved his plate discipline this past season.With Shortstop filled at the Major level, versatility will be his key.His 27 errors led all Int`l League S.S,but he started his career at third base. Almonte hit 225 in April & May but batted 425 in June and 325 in Aug.

[Buzah!]

as a teenager. Even with Jeter and Sori, the Yanks have been extremely reluctant to trade him. They were more willing to move Jimenez who was a nice prospect himself. We have two more big middle infielders in the pipe; Deivi Mendez who's still only 18, and Bronson Sardinha, the only lefty, who may be 19 now.

[ChicagoYankeeFan]

Almonte also played 2B in the AFL after the 2000 season.

His increasing plate discipline puts his value pretty high. I think he's already better than about 1/3 of the Shortstops in the league, and he has the power and arm strength to be a solid third-baseman as well.

Personally, I would love to see him earn at least a job as the utility guy on this team, but with all the Invitees we have in camp that seems unlikely.

[Ryguy22984]

But when you think about it, how many young, versatile utility players do we have?

[Dave in MD]

Almonte will be traded in June when we need that last upgrade to make the team complete. He has high value and would help us get that last piece. Perhaps Cliff Floyd.

[BigBats]

Almonte is a good hitter and base stealer. The sad part is that we really don't have much need for him. I'll be sad to see him go. He'll hit .280-.320 and steal 50 bases for some other club. Hopefully we'll get someone good for him.

[CaptainCargo]

This is what MLBProspect.com has to say about Almonte. Hope it helps you.


http://www.mlbprospect.com/articles/yankees20.html



Erick Almonte probably has the toughest path to the Majors in baseball: he plays shortstop for Derek Jeter's New York Yankees. Almonte did what he could in 2001, which is play well and see what happens. He started slow in Columbus, but really picked up the pace in the second half, finishing with a .287 average and a .464 slugging percentage, very impressive for a middle infielder. He was called up as a pinch-runner for the Yankees in September.


Almonte is big for a shortstop, similar to Jeter. He's developed home run power to go with a high average, making him quite an offensive threat. Almonte had struggled with his plate patience in the past, although his 44 walks in 345 ABs indicate an improved knowledge of the strike zone. Almonte did strike out 90 times, often as a result of going deeper in counts. The Yankees typically don't worry about strikeouts if a hitter can keep his average up, and Almonte had no problems doing that.


Although he is only an average runner, Almonte covers ground well at shortstop. He's has a good arm, and makes a lot of impressive plays. His hands are still a major issue, as he committed 27 errors in 96 games, many of them throwing errors. He wasn't going to play shortstop anyway, and should be able to transition to second base without much of a problem, as he's played there a bit in the past.


2002 in Preview: The Yankees have three hitting prospects who are ready for the show: Almonte, Johnson and Rivera. A lot depends on Alfonso Soriano. If he moves to left field, Almonte will have an excellent shot at being Derek Jeter's new double-play buddy. If Soriano stays at second base, Rivera gets an inside track on the left field job. Paul O'Neill's potential retirement complicates things. Look for Almonte to at least make the team as a utility man, with Luis Sojo likely to retire. He can outplay Sojo and Clay Bellinger. Confusing stuff all around.



Casey :NY: