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I like this article. It made me think a bit.
There are a couple of variables at play that I think I need to understand better:
1) How truly bad is Montero's defense at Catcher? I remember reading about him years ago in Baseball America and even back then the consensus was that he wouldn't stick at catcher. But then, why did the Yankees keep playing him there? What are the historical comparisons for his defensive profile? Is he better or worse, for instance, than Mike Piazza? Is there any one thing Montero could improve on (e.g. blocking pitches in the dirt, throwing out runners, etc) that would change his defensive profile?
2) What is the truth of these rumors about his lack of a work ethic? Didn't this come from Drayer? Is this reporter bias? Is it possible that he has a normal work ethic, but something in his personality makes people think he lacks that fire or whatever? Do we have an unreasonable fear that he'll turn into Jose Lopez?