"He doesn't look a thing like Jesus..."

You could plug in all sorts of captions for the below picture as Cashman looks fondly (maybe too fondly) at the top Yankees prospect Jesus Montero, the heir apparent to Jorge Posada:

• Is he ready to take the reins? It would sure help the team's average age if he's on the roster...
• How much can I inflate his trade value? Better yet, which GM is gonna take the bait when I've exhausted his best seasons and all that's left is a mediocre DH?
• Hank's right, he's definitely fatter than Russell Martin up close...
• Mmm Jesus... big and beautiful!

At 6' 4'' and 225 lbs, Jesus may not have the ideal catcher figure to endure two decades behind the plate, but such an issue hasn't hindered the comparable Joe Mauer's offensive or defensive ability. Albeit a small sample size, Jesus' minor league stats show promise, notably the steady growth of walks and OPS (the lack of stolen bases shouldn't come as a surprise). As mentioned in an article on the Yankees site today, his skills behind the plate are also coming along nicely; he's already thrown out two baserunners in Spring Training!

However, it remains to be seen if the Yankees still see their prospects as enticing trade chips or budding team leaders, an ever graver issue as Rivera, Posada, and Jeter head into their twilight seasons. Headlines have been popping up about other minor leagues who impressed at the last two spring training games. With more flexibility, I have a gut feeling that Cashman will strike a balance between trading for immediate value and reserving for the future. There is still time for these low risk-high growth projects to play out, which is the one of the few reasons why I feel bringing Russell Martin on board was a decent call by the front office. He can provide average to possibly above-avg. services while under contract until Jesus good to go. And in the meantime, if the 2011 season runs sour, it would be a good time to promote the babies (yeah I said it) and see how they handle being at the bigs.

On a final note, bonus points if you know the song reference for this post title.