Jesus Montero: a rising star

Down through the years the New York Yankees, whose New Jersey minor league affiliate is the Trenton Thunder, have enjoyed a plentiful amount of superb catchers. The names include Hall of Famers Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra as well as standouts like Elston Howard, Thurman Munson and current Yankee star Jorge Posada. It is very possible that the next Yankee star catcher is already playing within their minor league system. Among the potential stars in their organization none shines brighter than Jesus Montero, a 20 year old from Venezuela. He is highly regarded in and outside the Yankee organization and this MLB link indicates that he enjoys the leadership role that catchers have. That's fortunate because no other position on the field demands more leadership qualities than catcher. Catchers call pitches, confer with and encourage pitchers and at times position the defense. It's not surprising that a high percentage of major league managers were former big league catchers. That includes current Yankee manager Joe Girardi.

Montero's stats have been impressive. He's physically impressive, standing 6' 4" tall and weighing a solid 225 pounds. He hits for average but has plenty of power. Last season he split his playing time between Tampa, a single A affiliate of the Yankees and Trenton. After hitting at a 356 clip in Florida, Montero was promoted to Trenton where finished the season and batted 317.

New Stadium Insider indicates that Montero already has the ability to hit off-speed pitches. That's a notable achievement for a 20 year old who can handle a fast ball and breaking pitches. Interestingly the New Stadium Insider piece states that he has hit better in the DH role. That may be important because Jorge Posada, the current Yankee catcher, is still catching the lion's share of games and his back-up Francisco Cervelli is known for his defense and handling of pitchers. The DH provides both Montero and the Yankees with greater flexibility.

Montero is currently ranked within baseball's top fifty prospects. He is 19 on the list and first among Yankee prospects. Although there was interest in him expressed by other major league teams during the winter, the Yankees resisted requests to trade him.

Jesus Montero is working out with the Yankees in Florida now. An article in Spanish tells of his impressive feats. It notes that Montero surprised onlookers during a batting practice session and quoted him as saying that:

Solamente le doy un buen swing a la pelota, quiero pegarle fuerte en cada ocasión, y eso es lo que sucede.

Translated:

I only try to take a good swing at the ball and want to hit it squarely each time and that's what happens.

It's a good fundamental approach which has served Jesus Montero well up to this point. The Yankees are hoping his rapid progress lands him on the major league roster soon.