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View Full Version : Jesus Montero makes USA debut



jacksonianmarch
07-16-2007, 04:50 PM
Jesus Montero, the hot shot catcher that the yankees signed out of Venezuela last season whom any consider to be a top tier prospect, was assigned to Extended ST this season. In Extended ST, he was seen as easily the best hitter there for the yankees and also a developing defensive catcher as well. Unfortunately, an ankle sprain kept him out of action or the first 3 weeks of the GCL season, but he made his debut tay as the DH. And in his first AB, he hit a no-doubt bomb over the left field wall.

KeepTheFaith1229
07-16-2007, 04:54 PM
first pitch?

jacksonianmarch
07-16-2007, 05:03 PM
first pitch?

dont know. One of the guys on another board went to the game. I'll find out more.

jacksonianmarch
10-20-2007, 12:03 AM
He is absolutely raking in winter ball

15 for 29, 3HR, 7RBI with a SLG of .893. Will be interesting to see how he fares in long season next yr as one of the youngest in the league.

TheKilo
10-20-2007, 12:10 AM
SSS

jacksonianmarch
04-15-2008, 05:09 AM
Montero is making his long season debut this yr in Class A Charleston. Through 12 games, he is hitting

.353 11R 4 2B 2HR 12RBI .549SLG .926OPS. He has also gotten a game winning hit in 3 of the last 4 games. Kid's a beast. And that Charleston team is loaded.

jacksonianmarch
05-09-2008, 08:51 AM
Montero went 3 for 6 including the GW HR in the 13th inning. On the yr he's hitting .326 and slugging .514 with 5HR as an 18yr old in long season. The BB totals are down though, as he only has 5 BB in 34G.

rician blast
05-09-2008, 09:00 AM
Montero went 3 for 6 including the GW HR in the 13th inning. On the yr he's hitting .326 and slugging .514 with 5HR as an 18yr old in long season. The BB totals are down though, as he only has 5 BB in 34G.


You do realize that your track record recently regarding minor league phenoms sometimes equates to a virtual kiss of death, don't you?

jacksonianmarch
05-09-2008, 09:46 AM
a kiss of death, hardly. A slow start, yes.

rician blast
05-09-2008, 03:28 PM
Fair enough, Riv.

jacksonianmarch
08-13-2008, 09:38 PM
Hit his 14th HR of the yr today. .323/.372/.490. 72RBI as well. It is pretty obvious that he is dominating this league. But he is staying in the SAL this yr due to his raw catching ability.

Gom
08-13-2008, 09:52 PM
You do realize that your track record recently regarding minor league phenoms sometimes equates to a virtual kiss of death, don't you?
Hopefully it carries over to our idiot GM.

jacksonianmarch
08-24-2008, 07:43 PM
Montero hit his 17th homer today, a 3 run opposite field shot. For the yr, he's hitting .322 with 17HR and 83RBI as an 18 yr old in the SAL. If he stays at catcher, then he's at least 2-3 yrs off. If he converts to 1b, he could be a Bronx option by mid 2010

26 to 6
08-24-2008, 07:54 PM
Montero hit his 17th homer today, a 3 run opposite field shot. For the yr, he's hitting .322 with 17HR and 83RBI as an 18 yr old in the SAL. If he stays at catcher, then he's at least 2-3 yrs off. If he converts to 1b, he could be a Bronx option by mid 2010
I say we keep him behind the plate. Work on defense, and give ourselves a solid replacement for Jorge. If it takes another year then so be it. He's only 18..he's got plenty of years ahead of him.


Oh, and I don't mean to boast, but I'm probably one of the few people on this board who will ever have had the chance to see him play in the current Yankee Stadium :D

...sorry, couldn't help myself. Aside from the Legends/Celebrity softball game, seeing Montero at the Stadium was really what drew me to All Star Sunday lol.

CrespoBlows
08-24-2008, 07:56 PM
I say we keep him behind the plate. Work on defense, and give ourselves a solid replacement for Jorge. If it takes another year then so be it. He's only 18..he's got plenty of years ahead of him.


Oh, and I don't mean to boast, but I'm probably one of the few people on this board who will ever have had the chance to see him play in the current Yankee Stadium :D

...sorry, couldn't help myself. Aside from the Legends/Celebrity softball game, seeing Montero at the Stadium was really what drew me to All Star Sunday lol.

According to everyone other than Jacko, he's not a great defensive catcher, who will need to be moved to first.

He's got the bat to stick at 1st, though.

TheKilo
08-24-2008, 08:01 PM
Montero is awful impressive, maybe the best offensive prospect the Yanks have?

What level is he at right now and what is his ETA for the big club?

jacksonianmarch
08-24-2008, 09:41 PM
For sheer offensive skills, I dont think you'll find anyone in our system who is better. For the overall position player package, I think Jackson will beat him out this yr, his last month aside. Couple things on Montero..

In terms of base hit ability, at the beginning of the yr, I would say he and Hilligoss would be near the top. As in solid contact to all fields. Well, Montero takes the cake since Hilligoss bombed out this yr.

In terms of raw power, Montero and Laird take the cake.

In terms of eye, it is a bit difficult to expound on MiLB stats, but Montero has an advanced view of the zone. His isoPatience isnt the best marker. More the fact that he doesnt K a lot and hits for solid line drives more often than not. But in terms of patience, I think he is in the 4th-5th range. The best in the yankee system is Kyle Anson in terms of eye IMO.

His ETA is variable. I know, not the best answer. But the yankees have been trying to shore up the catcher position since Cashman took the reigns. He took Kyle Anson in the 05 draft with the purpose of moving him to catcher. Unfortunately, 2 yrs worth of knee and back injuries threw him out of whack. We have Francisco Cervelli, who is a very solid catching prospect, more along the good eye, solid but not great stick and above average glove type. We also added Austin Romine last yr and Kyle Higashioka this yr. He also drafted a SS (Addison Maruszak) who is dominating the NYP league, who will likely be catching next yr as well. The catching depth in the system is very deep and should start to see results next season (I expect Cervelli to see time in the bigs). That said, if Anson or Cervelli stick, then Montero's ETA will be moved up. As a catcher, he hits a logjam of deserving prospects and right now he splits time behind the plate and DH with another solid, deserving prospect in Austin Romine. If he was moved to 1b, he'd be behind only Miranda, who'll likely make his MLB debut next yr.

So therefore, as a catcher, Montero wont be ready until 2011-2012. If he was a 1b right now, I'd say he could have made it to AA already. So if, for the sake of arguing, he converted to 1b over the winter, he'd likely reach AA or AAA by the end of 2009 and be ready for his debut a la Miguel Cabrera in 2003, in August or so of 2010.

TheKilo
08-24-2008, 09:48 PM
Ok, so basically the Sox comparison is Lars?

jacksonianmarch
08-24-2008, 09:51 PM
I think that is a good comparison. I think Lars has and will continue to have a better eye. But I think Montero will have more power.

jacksonianmarch
08-24-2008, 10:22 PM
Oh and in terms of his defense, here's a few morsels for thought.

BA and a lot of the ESPN pundits are about a yr to a yr and a half behind when it comes to players in the lower levels. A yr and a half ago, Montero was a pretty raw catcher. He's made some strides in that regard, to a point where he is now just as good if not better than Austin Romine, the kid whom BA raved about his defensive ability. To be honest with you, Montero's Fielding % and CS% are much higher than Romine's. The legitimate concern from both the BA and the scout.com perspective is that he will simply outgrow the position. As an 18 yr old who is 6'4 and 225 pounds AFTER losing 25 pounds, that is a legitimate concern. Right now, as long as the kid works to stay in shape and doesnt grow anymore, he is right at the edge of the size of a big league catcher. Any more weight or height and they should call it a day and move him to 1b.

jacksonianmarch
08-29-2008, 07:58 AM
In his last 39 games (about 1/3 of his season) he hit .391 with a .603SLG. This kid can absolutely mash.