Austin Romine

2013

Subscribe now to see our 2013 outlook.

2012

Romine has the skills to be at least an average major league catcher as he hit .286 for Double-A Trenton in 2011, and scouts forecast him to develop low double-digit power. With the trade of Jesus Montero to Seattle, Romine has an easier path to playing time. However, Gary Sanchez isn't too far behind Romine in the system. Don't count on a huge offensive breakout if he secures a major league role with the Yankees or if he's traded elsewhere, but Romine should hit enough to be a decent fantasy starter for 2013 and beyond.

2011

Romine had a strong start to 2010, but a second-half slide dropped his final line to .268/.324/.402 at Double-A Trenton. As a hitter, he's well behind Jesus Montero, but scouts think he'll still have average power, and he's the better defender of the two. However, he's stuck in a holding pattern until the Yankees decide how to handle their abundance of riches. Montero is more likely to get the first look with the big club, and if he's able to hold his own, Romine may get stuck at Triple-A as potential trade bait. But if Montero falters and needs to switch positions (or gets traded himself), Romine will assume the "catcher of the future" mantle.

2010

Romine spent last year with High-A Tampa, hitting .276/.322/.441 while smacking 13 homers in 442 at-bats. As one of two highly touted catchers in the Yankees’ system, Romine lags behind Jesus Montero in terms of offensive production, though some scouts believe he has enough power potential to be a 20- to 25-homer threat in the majors. Defensively, Romine has the edge thanks to his strong throwing arm, though he is still a work in progress with his footwork. It will be interesting to see how the Yankees handle their two young prospects in 2011 (the final year of Jorge Posada’s contract) and beyond, but for now Romine will continue to hone his skills at Double-A Trenton.

2009

Although he'll likely be competing with Jesus Montero for the organization's catcher of the future tag, Romine has plenty of upside with his bat despite shaky defensive skills behind the plate. Montero was more productive when the duo spent 2008 at Low-A Charleston, but Romine isn't far behind and he could ultimately become the better prospect if he responds well efforts to improve his defense. He's still a few years away from a big league debut, while Romine figures to spend most of 2009 at High-A Tampa.