Tag Archives: Jesus Montero

October 19, 2025

Montero Passes

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Former catcher Jesus Montero died at the two young age of 35 due to a motorcycle accident:

Montero reportedly died from his injuries following a motorcycle accident in Venezuela on October 4, according to Venezuelan media outlet RepubliCaraquista.

He made his major league debut for the Yankees in 2011 and played for the Mariners from 2012 to 2015.

“The Mariners were saddened to learn today of the passing of former Mariners player Jesús Montero,” the Mariners said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and loved ones.”

KIRO7.com

My thoughts go out to his family and friends. I suspect it will bring a bit of sadness to tonight’s ALCS game.

Montero hit like a catcher in his career, with a bit of power. He finished with a .253/.295/.398 slash line. Sixty of his 204 career hits went for extra bases. He did go two for two in his only post-season appearance. That came with the Yankees.

When a catcher hits like that, he needs to be a good defender. FanGraphs list his defense as a negative every season. In 94 stolen base attempts with him catching, only 13 runners were caught. He did hit well in the minors, it just never worked at the major league level.

January 3, 2017

Adding Jesus

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The Orioles signed Jesus Montero to a minor league deal:

Jesus Montero, 27, agreed to a minor league deal, the signing confirmed by executive vice president Dan Duquette. The former elite catching prospect now is a first baseman/designated hitter who’s suspended for the first 50 games of 2017 after testing positive for the banned stimulant dimethylbutylamine back in September.

Montero appeared in 126 games with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, batting .317/.349/.438 with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 60 RBIs. He made the International League All-Star team.

I usually don’t care about minor league signings like this, but Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter have a history of finding unwanted players and making the most of their limited skill set. We’ll see what the team does with Montero, who will be playing at peak age this season. If his ability to get on base in the minors finally translates to the majors, he’ll be a useful hitter.

May 23, 2013

Biblical Transactions

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Jesus Montero is dying for his sins, while Jesus Sucre rises.

The general idea here is simple. Jesus Montero has been a bad hitter and he has been a bad catcher. Now he will begin the process of forgetting everything he’s learned about catching, so as to better focus on the hitting part. In Tacoma, it’s expected that Montero will DH and play first base, and so while I’m sure this is a shot to his pride, having been a backstop for so long and all, demotions are humbling and all of Montero’s big-league plate appearances are humbling, too. He’s been a top prospect on account of his bat. One could consider this a move on the Mariners’ part to shine a spotlight on that, only. People have seen this coming for years. Maybe not the bit where Montero gets demoted, but definitely the bit where he doesn’t catch anymore.

Despite the injury to Michael Pineda, there’s still a shot the Yankees come out on top in this deal.

August 12, 2012

Walking Again

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Miguel Jesus Montero continued his great second half Sunday afternoon as he nicked Jered Weaver for two home runs in a 4-1 Seattle victory over the Angels. Since the All-Star break Montero is 34 for 97 with four doubles and four home runs. He’s also walking more, however, drawing nine since the break versus just 14 before. He’s cut his strikeout rate way down as well.

One of Montero’s strengths in the minors was his ability to get on base. He seemed to lose his strike zone judgment early, but now it appears to be back better than ever. That’s very good news for the Mariners.

July 24, 2012 May 30, 2012

Tulip Mania

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The Mariners run up the score on Derek Holland, scoring eight runs in the top of the second inning in Texas. Youngsters Dustin Ackley and Jesus Montero each homer, driving in a combined five runs. Bill the Cat is extremely happy. Seattle leads 8-0.

Update: Holland left in the second, but the runs keep coming for the Mariners. With one out in the third, the Mariners have added six more runs, Montero doubling in two and Justin Smoak hitting a three-run homer. Montero now has four RBI in the game.

Update: The Mariners score eight runs in the third inning and lead the Rangers 16-0.

May 11, 2012

Games of the Day

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The Rays and Orioles sit tied atop the AL East as Jeremy Hellickson takes on Dana Eveland in Baltimore. In his two starts on the road this season, Hellickson gave up 13 hits and eight runs in 10 2/3 innings, walking six and striking out five. His ERA is about 4.5 runs higher away from Tampa Bay. Eveland makes his first appearance of 2012. He pitched well at AAA Norfolk, walking just six batters in 36 2/3 innings.

Felix Hernandez

Felix Hernandez tries to continue his domination of the Yankees in New York. Photo: © Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

Felix Hernandez and the Mariners visit the Yankees with Hiroki Kuroda on the mound. Hernandez pitched well against the Yankees in New York except for one start in 2008. In his last three games at Yankee Stadium he allowed one run in 24 innings. Lefties hammer Kuroda this season, hitting .375/.432/.569 against the RHP. This game also marks the return of Jesus Montero to the Bronx.

The potential slugfest of the day goes to Cleveland at Boston, where Ubaldo Jimenez takes on Clay Buchholz. Ubaldo walked 25 in 35 2/3 innings so far, while Buchholz allowed 10 home runs in just 32 2/3 innings.

Former AL Central rivals Johan Santana and Mark Buehrle meet in Miami as the Mets play the Marlins. The two have not started against each other since September of 2007. Buehrle is 3-2 in the games, Santana 2-3. This game was their best duel, although the Twins bullpen turned it into a blow out.

C.J. Wilson returns to Texas to face his replacement, Yu Darvish as the Angels meet the Rangers. Both teams are getting their money’s worth so far. Wilson made three starts home and road so far, and while his overall line is better at home, he allowed a much lower ERA on the road. Darvish has been tough with men on base so far, allowing a .187 BA and a .240 slugging percentage in that situation.

Enjoy!

April 15, 2012

Trade Battery

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Hector Noesi pitched, Jesus Montero caught, and the Mariners shutout the Athletics 4-0. Noesi last eight innings, throwing 105 pitches, walking one and striking out six. Only one of Oakland’s five hits went for extra bases. Montero supplied the power with his first extra-base hits of the season, a double and a homer as he drove in three of the four Seattle runs. The Marines were hoping to get two-major league ready players for Michael Pineda, and last night gave hope that they succeeded.

March 29, 2012

Montero Hits

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Jesus Montero records the first Mariners hit of the game as singles the other way through the hole between first and second with one out in the fifth inning. Bartolo Colon retired the first 13 hitters of the game. Still no score.

Update: Miguel Olivo doesn’t hit the ball hard, but it bounce through the middle for the second hit of the inning. The Mariners have two on and two out for Michael Saunders.

Update: Saunders walks! It’s the first walk of the season, and it took 16 innings. The bases are loaded for Brendan Ryan.

Update: Ryan grounds into a force at second, and Colon gets out of the jam. Still no score halfway through the game.

February 29, 2012

Olivo on Montero

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Miguel Olivo notes that it took him some time to develop behind the plate:

Montero is expected to be primarily a DH this season, spelling starting catcher Miguel Olivo behind the plate for 20-40 games. Olivo, for his part, preaches patience, pointing out that he also reached the big leagues in his early 20s and admitting that it took him “2 ½-3 years to really realize what I need to do behind the plate.”

“He’s young and he can hit already. That’s not a problem,” Olivo said. “He needs to get better at receiving and blocking, and communicate more with the pitchers. It takes time, though. I had the same problems. … That’s the thing he needs to go through now. Maybe a couple years, one year and he’ll be ready to do it.”

Jesus Montero will be much more valuable to the Mariners as a catcher who can hit. The counter argument is that his bat is so good, why takes years off it by allowing him to catch? I suppose if Miguel Jesus plays his whole career at DH and winds up a .300/.400/.500 hitter, we can have a great argument about a DH making the Hall of Fame.

February 16, 2012 January 23, 2012

Coach A-Rod

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Alex Rodriguez got Jesus Montero to improve his hitting:

When Jesus Montero, the Mariners’ new hard-hitting catcher, was asked what he did to turn around his batting last season, he gave a surprising answer.

He hadn’t been practicing enough in the batting cage, he said. So his Yankees teammate Alex Rodriguez said he’d fine Montero $100 every day he didn’t practice in the cage. That did it, Montero told reporters on Monday.

Alex positively influenced other Yankees hitters. Maybe his second career will be a hitting coach.

January 23, 2012 January 15, 2012

Trading Montero

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Chad Jennings writes on why the Yankees were willing to take the risk of trading Jesus Montero‘s bat:

The Yankees believe Montero’s bat will be significant, but they also believe it’s easier to replace Montero’s potential than to replace Michael Pineda’s potential. It’s easier to lure a hitter to Yankee Stadium, and impact hitters reach the free agent market more often than impact pitchers. Just look at this year’s market. The top pitchers available were occasional all-stars C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle. The top hitters were perennial MVP candidates Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.

The article also discusses Pineda needing to develop a change up. I’d just note the Yankees have a very good pitching coach in Larry Rothschild (not to take anything away from Carl Willis).

January 13, 2012

Coast to Coast Trade

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The Yankees and Mariners are pulling off a blockbuster trade:

The Seattle Mariners agreed to trade right-hander Michael Pineda to the New York Yankees for catcher Jesus Montero on Friday, a swap involving two of baseball’s top young talents.

A person familiar with the deal confirmed the trade to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to discuss the trade that will be completed pending physicals.

As part of the trade, the Yankees also sent 24-year-old pitcher Hector Noesi to Seattle for 19-year-old righty Jose Campos.

Wow. Pineda was nearly unhittable in his rookie season, while Montero provides Seattle with the big bat they need. He hit for average, power and got on base at a great clip in his short stay with New York.

Since Montero comes cheap, the Mariners could even sign Prince Fielder and suddenly transform their offense.

Pineda solves the Yankees number two starter problem, and he and Sabathia could be a great 1-2 punch for half a decade.

Update: Here’s the U.S.S. Mariner take on the deal.

November 5, 2011

My Favorite Martin

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The Yankee Analysts note a big upside signing Russell Martin to a long-term contract:

There’s a second angle to extending Martin. If Montero makes big strides as a defender or a lower level prospect like Gary Sanchez or Isaias Tejeda moves quickly, you could always trade Martin down the road to a team that needs an everyday Catcher. Never forget that good everyday Catchers are exceedingly rare, and therefore worth a lot on the trade market.

I would venture that if the Yankees sign Martin to a three or four year deal, it’s a big signal that they don’t think Jesus Montero will be an everyday catcher. There is a story that I mostly heard from my father that Yogi Berra was not a good defensive catcher before he came to the majors. Bill Dickey tutored him and turned him into a great defensive catcher. I don’t totally buy the story, because one of Yogi’s skills as a catcher was reading the hitter, detecting changes in his stance in the batter’s box, and calling pitches that would exploit those changes. In other words, Yogi had a terrific pattern recognizer and used it effectively. That’s a skill one develops by catching lots of games. I’m sure Dickey helped Yogi with footwork and throwing, but those strike me as minor compared to being able to call the right pitch based on his recognition of what the batter thought was coming.

So maybe Montero doesn’t block the plate or throw well, but does he call a good game? If so, I suspect with Joe Girardi, Tony Pena, and Russell Martin around, Montero could become competent at those other tasks. Keeping Russell around for three more years could turn out to be like the Girardi bridge to Jorge Posada.

Games caught for the Yankees
Season Girardi Posada
1997 111 60
1998 78 99
1999 65 109
2000 0 142

Note that Montero won’t enter his prime until 2015, so there’s plenty of time for him to develop behind the plate.

September 24, 2011

Jesus on the Cycle

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Jesus Montero homers the opposite way in the bottom of the sixth to put the Yankees up 9-0 over the Red Sox. He’s driven in four runs with a single, double and homer. He needs a triple for the cycle, but it will be tough for him to get up again unless the Yankees can put a few more men on base. Looks like the Yankees found their designated hitters for the playoffs.

Update: Montero hit six triples in the minors, none in the majors so far.

Update: Montero strikes out looking to end the eighth. The Yankees lead Boston 9-1.

September 24, 2011

Jesus Feeds the Masses

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Jesus Montero hits a one-out single with the bases loaded and one out in the second, and the Yankees lead the Red Sox 1-0. That’s his ninth RBI in 15 games. He’s now sports a .327/.400/.551 slash line.

Carl Crawford drops a hump-back line drive by Russell Martin, and the Yankees score two more. The epic collapse continues, even though they give Martin a hit on the play.

Derek Jeter follows with a three-run homer, and the Yankees lead 6-0. It was a typical Jeter shot at Yankee Stadium going the opposite way. The Rays and Angles may have their opening.

Update: Lackey and Wakefield are schedule to pitch the double header tomorrow. There’s a good chance for a Yankees sweep here.

Update: Montero drives in two more in the bottom of the third with a two-out double to death valley. Jon Lester leaves after 2 2/3 innings with a man on second and an 8-0 Yankees lead. Epic.

Update: Lester’s ERA went up from 3.15 to 3.49.

September 5, 2011

Jesus’s First Miracle

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Jesus Montero hit his first major league home run, then added a two-run shot in the seventh that proved to be the winning margin and the Yankees won a slugfest against the Orioles 11-10. The teams combined for seven homers and five doubles. The Orioles out-hit New York 17-12, but the Yankees scored nine of their runs on homer as Robinson Cano hit a grand slam, his third of the season and seventh of his career. Five of those came in the last two seasons.

September 1, 2011

Jesus Rises

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The Yankees are expected to call up Jesus Montero today, and minor league expert John Sickels gives his take on the much anticipated prospect.

Any doubts about Montero center on his glove. He has a strong throwing arm, but his throwing mechanics are less than ideal and he’s not especially effective against basestealers. He caught just 20% this year for Scranton, and 21% in his minor league career. Other aspects of his defense have gradually improved. He’s steadily cut down on passed balls (15 last year but just seven this year) and errors, and he has improved his mobility behind the plate. However, despite the improvement in his statistics, most scouts still rate his defense as mediocre at best, and as he gets older what flexibility he has will likely decline. There has been some talk of making him a first baseman, but he’s never played the position and that won’t help him much in New York, anyhow.

In the end, Montero will likely spend much of his career at DH, and there’s nothing wrong with that if his bat develops as expected. Given his sweet spot on the age curve, he should develop into a premium offensive force. Even if his glove never improves further, his bat will keep him in the lineup for a long time.

Or he spends most of his time catching and is the second Mike Piazza. I think Yankees fans could live with that.

June 23, 2011

Time to Raise Jesus

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I agree with Mike Axisa when he write on Jesus Montero:

The Yankees are tilting at some serious windmills here. Whatever move they make will be scrutinized, whether they call Montero up or keep him down or trade him. That’s life. There’s an obvious path for him to get playing time in the big leagues which involves getting Frankie Cervelli‘s complete lack of positive impact off the roster and letting Montero serve as the backup catcher and part-time designated hitter. He could get four starts a week that way (two at catcher, two at DH), which is what the Yankees did with Posada a decade ago and how teams regularly broke in young players back in the day. There’s nothing unconventional here, the kid is so obviously ready and able to help. Stop fearing failure and let him do it.

March 4, 2011

Francisco Pipp

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Francisco Cervelli may have pulled a Wally Pipp:

New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli has a broken left foot and will miss a minimum of four weeks and likely more.

An MRI of Cervelli’s foot, injured when he fouled a ball off it while batting in the second inning of Wednesday’s game against the Astros, revealed a fracture “above the toes,” according to manager Joe Girardi.

This gives Jesus Montero a great shot at winning the role of backup catcher. If he does, and Jesus hits as expected, it will be tough to send him down when Cervelli returns.

March 1, 2011

Mauer on Montero

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Joe Brescia interviews Joe Mauer about being a big catcher, and how Jesus Montero should handle the nay-sayers:

Some baseball observers feel that tall catchers are limited in their flexibility, and that someone like Montero would be better off switching to another position like first base, outfield or designated hitter.

But Mauer, who has won three Gold Gloves to go along with three batting titles and a Most Valuable Player award, has proved that height is not a hindrance for catchers with ability, and Montero, like Mauer, is a talented hitter. “I’ve heard a lot about him,” Mauer said of the 20-year-old Montero. “I’m excited to see him.”

Mauer was told about Montero’s insistence about making the majors as a catcher.

“That’s good,” Mauer said. “He might find that everyone wants to throw their two cents in. But I really enjoyed the position and that was not going to stop me.”

Montero is smart to stick with catcher as long as possible. He’ll be worth more money that way. It should be noted, however, that Carlos Delgado made a pretty good career for himself at first base after coming through the minors as a catcher.

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February 24, 2011 November 5, 2010

Incremental Improvement, New York Yankees

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This is a continuing series on how various MLB teams might make a small change to improve themselves for 2011. The idea is laid out in the first of these posts.

The New York Yankees won 95 games in 2010, the third highest win total in the majors. The Yankees are also the first of the top three teams with an obvious path to incremental improvement. Javier Vazquez posted the lowest value of any New York regular last season. Since free agency beckons, the Yankees job is to replace him with a better pitcher. They want Cliff Lee and hold the resources to land him.

Even if the Yankees don’t acquire Lee, a decent pitcher would be an improvement over Vazquez and could help make the difference between one game out in the AL East and one game up.

The Yankees might also get a second incremental improvement as Jesus Montero appears ready for the major leagues. That would move Jorge Posada to designated hitter, solving that position as well. New York should be poised to improve in 2011.

Previous teams:

April 2, 2010

Catcher on the Rise?

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The Yankees starting and backup catcher are each suffering from minor injuries:

With their season-opener at Fenway Park two days away, the Yankees are hoping that the stiff neck that sidelined Jorge Posada Thursday and the hamstring injury that has Francisco Cervelli in the trainer’s room will both be gone by Sunday.

What if the injuries aren’t gone? This Sunday would be the perfect day to see Jesus Montero rise from the minors.

March 2, 2010

Catching the Yankees

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Bryan Smith makes a case for Austin Romine being a better bet for the future of the Yankees at catcher than Jesus Montero. He seems to discount a move by Montero to any position except first base or DH? Is really that slow that he can’t play a corner outfield position? As a catcher, I suspect he has the arm to play rightfield. Could he really be that bad defensively at age 20?

February 12, 2010

Jesus’s Diversity

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The Yankees are trying out Jesus Montero at first base:

There has been speculation that Montero ultimately will not be a catcher in the future, but the Yankees say they are committed to developing him behind the plate. He has worked hard to improve defensively and has made strides, team officials say, adding sound technique to a strong arm.

Yesterday’s workout was all about versatility, Montero said.

“I want to be a catcher in the big leagues, but this may help me get to the big leagues faster,” he said.

I suspect what will get Montero to the big leagues faster will be his ability to smack a baseball. If he’s putting up numbers like this at AAA this season, he won’t have anything to prove offensively. Giving him experience at first base seems like a waste of time to me. It’s going to take a pretty serious injury to Teixeira to move Montero into that position, and given the age of Posada, he’s the better candidate to make the move. There is a position where the Yankees could use a better bat, however, leftfield. Yogi played some games in the outfield early, and I don’t think anyone would object to sitting Brett Gardner every once in a while to let Posada catch, Montero play left, and A-Rod or Jeter DH. The Yankees should give some DH time to their older hitters to keep them fresh, and if Jesus can play left, they can always minimize the number of poor hitters in the lineup to one.

December 21, 2009

Montero Up a Level

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The Yankees will promote catcher Jesus Montero to AAA to start the 2010 season. His throwing improved in 2009:

The Yankees have been encouraged by Montero’s improved footwork behind the plate. He threw out 31.8 percent of base runners in Trenton, which is pretty solid and much better than the 12.5 percent he threw out in the first half of the season in Tampa. Actually, Montero’s caught stealing percentage in Trenton was better than Romine’s season percentage in Tampa (though I don’t think anyone would suggest Montero is at Romine’s level in that regard). Newman said some of the improvement came because Montero adjusted his footwork so that he pivots on his right foot rather than taking a step or a slide.

“That seems to work for him,” Newman said. “It’s an older school approach.”

My father often told me that Yogi Berra wasn’t much of a defensive catcher when he first came to the majors. Bill Dickey imparted his knowledge, and that helped Yogi a great deal. It’s good to see someone is working with Montero, as he’ll be much more valuable as a catcher than at some other position, especially since Posada probably won’t be able to catch that much longer.