Return to MLB Prospect index Jesus Montero - C Jesus Montero Scouting Report - Montero was an international signing by the Yankees in the summer of 206 when they inked him to a $1.6 million contract. When signed, Montero labeled playing for the Yankees 'a privilege.' He also was pursued by the Indians and Red Sox. - The catcher was born on November 28th, 1989 in Venezuela. He is currently listed at 6'4", 225 lbs. - Montero hit .322./.373/.488 (.861 OPS) in 525 at bats in Single-A Charleston during the 2008 season. Th league average OPS was .707. He also hit 17 homers and 34 doubles. Montero drew more walks as 2008 progressed, but an increase in plate discipline would be a welcome sign. His power is tremendous and the main reason why he projects so high as a prospect. - Montero's home/away numbers were somewhat staggering in 2008, hitting .352/.404/.508 away and .291/.340/.467 at home. - His bat speed is tremendous, which will continue to allow him to display power to both his pull side and opposite field and also to wait on breaking pitches. - Montero batted .667/.727/1.111 in nine 2009 Spring Training at bats, including a home run. - Defensively, Montero is a big question mark. He is decidedly ordinary as a defensive catcher and this comes squarely from a lack of athleticism. Montero is such a valuable prospect because he's potentially a big league catcher, but as a first baseman or left fielder, that stock of course drops. - "Without question, he is significantly improved this year as opposed to last year," Brian Cashman told the Star-Ledger during Spring Training 2009. "To the point that we don't really doubt he's going to be a catcher in the big leagues." - Will his bat simply be good enough to find a slot or can he improve his defense substantially to slot in behind the plate? - Ranked 38th by Baseball Prospectus in their Top 100 Prospects for 2009. Also ranked 38th by Baseball America. Jesus Montero Updates RealGM will be tracking Jesus Montero throughout his minor league development and present updates on his progress here and within our Wiretap. Jesus Montero Links - Latest Jesus Montero news via Google - Montero's FirstInning.com page - Montero's FanGraphs.com page - Montero's Minor League Baseball Reference page - If you have updates on Jesus Montero that warrant inclusion on this page, please email me at [email protected]