Jesus Montero

[Chubz]

Stunna, what info do you have on this guy? Is he the real deal?

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by Chubz

Stunna, what info do you have on this guy? Is he the real deal?

without getting into too much detail, i can give you a good overall, general idea of the kind of player montero is. first of all, he's built like a truck... and he's still only a pup. i think the yanks overpaid for montero to tell you the truth during last years international free agent signing period, but the yanks got a first class prospect in the process. he spent his first full season of professional ball with the yanks gulf coast league team (rookie ball), and performed about as i had expected him to. he's currently a catcher, but he'll likely be turned into a first baseman down the line. his receiving skills are very underrated, and he has an above average arm, but i don't like his size back there or play calling ability (although in his defense, i've only seen him play three full games and that was on dvd). his strength is in his bat, and while he has ridiculous natural pop for a player his age, he doesn't make very good contact with the ball on a regular basis. montero is very pull happy (not uncommon for a player his age), but he doesn't do a very good job of consistently putting the sweet spot of the bat on the ball. i like his stroke though, and you have to admire a young player confident enough in his game that he swings hard every time. he's got pretty good gap power from what i've seen to left/center, but i've never seen him go "oppo" either. if he can shorten his stroke a bit i imagine he could become a pretty good hitter to all points of the diamond. the thing that really impresses me about jesus montero, and what a lot of people do not appreciate about him, is his plate discipline. he's got an unbelievable eye for a player of his maturity level. he's got a very good sense of the strike zone, is a smart hitter, and picks up pretty good reads on breaking balls from right handed pitching. the problem isn't with his eye, it's with the stroke. i think people are expecting a little too much from montero though at this point. i believe he has the opportunity to be a productive big leaguer with plenty of pop, but i think he'll be relegated to a dh/first base role due to his lack of athleticism and his size. at this point, i'd say he's a pretty safe bet to say he has a decent shot of being an everyday first baseman someday, but to expect more at this point is too much. it's simply way too early.

[Chubz]

The Yankees seem to be really high on him. Ive been doing some research on him and appearantly scouts think he will be a very good power hitter. They say talent usually develops power last, but Jesus has had that ability from the get-go

[Chubz]

Even though it's only his first spring traiing game, Montero hit a blast