Five bold predictions

As the MLB season kicks off, Insider's fearless team of Baseball Prospectus writers dishes out five bold predictions for the 2011 season.

Jesus Montero will hit well in the big leagues

He just won't be doing it for the New York Yankees. The Yankees can talk all they want about how much Montero has improved defensively, but if he could really catch in the big leagues, he'd be doing it in New York instead of what's left of Russell Martin.

The fact is, he's just not very good back there, and his only other options are first base, where Mark Teixeira is signed through the end of the world, and designated hitter, a position that (A) presently belongs to Jorge Posada and (B) is one that teams hate assigning to young players. The Yankees have holes, especially in the rotation, and when the big names become available, Montero will be the best prospect trading chip in the game. New York will put that chip on the table. -- Kevin Goldstein

To read the rest of the Baseball Prospectus crew's bold predictions, you must be an ESPN Insider.

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