Miguel Angel Montero Fernandez (born July 9, 1983) is a
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n-American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
Arizona Diamondbacks,
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
,
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
, and
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
. Montero is a two-time
MLB All-Star.
Professional career
Arizona Diamondbacks
The
Arizona Diamondbacks signed Montero as an undrafted free agent in 2001 for a $13,000
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
.
Since his arrival in the United States, Montero was coached by veteran manager and former catcher
Bill Plummer
William Francis Plummer (born March 21, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and manager, and current hitting coach for the Redding Colt 45s. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher in 1968 and then from 1970 to 1978, ...
throughout his time with the Diamondbacks organization.
![Miguelmontero](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Miguelmontero.jpg)
Montero made his major league debut on September 6, 2006, against the
Florida Marlins. He went hitless in his first game, as
Aníbal Sánchez
Aníbal Alejandro Sánchez Jr. (; born February 27, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Florida Marlins and has also played for the Detroit Tiger ...
of the Marlins threw a
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
against the Diamondbacks. Montero played in a total of six games that year, recording a .250 batting average.
In 2007 and 2008, Montero
platooned with
Chris Snyder at the catching position for the D-Backs and batted a .224 average with 10 home runs in 2007 and batting .255 with five home runs in 2008.
Montero began the 2009 season slowly, hitting just three home runs and having just a .200 batting average through the first two months. However, when Snyder was put on the disabled list in June, Montero's playing time increased markedly and he finished the season with a career-high .294 batting average.
Montero caught
Edwin Jackson's
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
on June 25, 2010. He finished the season with a .266 batting average and nine home runs.
In 2011, after hitting .272 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI, Montero was selected to his first All-Star Game. He also threw out 40% of baserunners trying to steal, a career high.
Montero was named to his second All-Star game in July 2014, replacing the injured
Yadier Molina for the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
.
Chicago Cubs
Following the 2014 season, the Diamondbacks traded Montero to the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
for minor leaguers Jeferson Mejia and
Zack Godley. Before a hand injury in mid-July, Montero had appeared in 73 games for the Cubs with 217 at bats. He had 10 home runs and 32 runs-batted-in with a batting average of .230. On August 30, 2015, Montero caught
Jake Arrieta's no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
![Miguel Montero on July 16, 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Miguel_Montero_on_July_16%2C_2016.jpg)
During Game 1 of the
2016 NLCS
The 2016 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff in which the Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League (NL) pennant and the right to play in the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. ...
, Montero hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the 8th inning to break a 3–3 tie and led the Cubs to an 8–4 victory over the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
. It was the third pinch-hit grand slam in postseason history. Montero entered Game 7 of the
2016 World Series
The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...
in the bottom of the 9th inning as a defensive replacement for Cubs backup catcher
David Ross. In the top of the 10th inning, having batted only .091 (1-for-11) in the postseason to that point, Montero hit a single to left field which drove in Cubs first baseman
Anthony Rizzo and improved the team's lead to 8–6. Since the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
only scored one run in the bottom of the 10th inning to make the score 8–7, Montero's RBI provided the game's decisive run and sealed the Cubs' victory. After the series, Montero expressed his disappointment in losing playing time to
Willson Contreras
Willson Eduardo Contreras (born May 13, 1992) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs.
Contreras made his MLB debut in 2016 ...
and
David Ross.
In a game on June 27, 2017, the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
went seven-for-seven in
stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
s against Montero. After the game, he said that it was the fault of pitcher
Jake Arrieta, who took too long to deliver his pitches and failed to hold the runners at their bases. The next day, the Cubs
designated
Designation (from Latin ''designatio'') is the process of determining an incumbent's successor. A candidate that won an election for example, is the ''designated'' holder of the office the candidate has been elected to, up until the candidate's i ...
Montero for assignment. Montero apologized to
Arrieta after the incident. It was reported this was done because management felt he was a disruption in the clubhouse; Anthony Rizzo considered Montero's comments to the media unprofessional.
Toronto Blue Jays
On July 3, 2017, Montero was traded to the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
for cash considerations or a player to be named later. He was placed on the disabled list with a groin strain on August 4. After a one-game rehab assignment with the Triple-A
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...
, Montero was activated on August 16.
Washington Nationals
On February 1, 2018, Montero signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
. He was added to the major-league roster on March 27, 2018. After Montero appeared in four games for Washington and went 0-for-11 at the plate, the Nationals designated him for assignment on April 11, 2018. He was released on April 14, 2018.
On December 10, 2018, Montero announced his retirement.
International career
He was selected
Venezuela national baseball team
The Venezuela national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Venezuela'') is the national team of Venezuela. It is currently ranked sixth in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, directly behind the US and ahead ...
at the
2013 World Baseball Classic
The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009.
Unlike ...
.
Personal life
Montero is married to Vanessa. Together, in 2017, the couple created the Miguel and Vanessa Montero Foundation, which aims to provide medical assistance to seriously ill children from Venezuela. On May 1, 2017, Montero and his wife both became United States citizens.
Montero grew up in Venezuela, the youngest of three children. He credits his parents with encouraging him to stay positive and always try.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
References
External links
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montero, Miguel
1983 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American sportspeople of Venezuelan descent
Arizona Diamondbacks players
Arizona League Diamondbacks players
Bravos de Margarita players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Caribes de Anzoátegui players
Chicago Cubs players
Lancaster JetHawks players
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States
Missoula Osprey players
National League All-Stars
Navegantes del Magallanes players
Pastora de los Llanos players
People from Caracas
Phoenix Desert Dogs players
Reno Aces players
South Bend Silver Hawks players
Baseball players from Caracas
Tennessee Smokies players
Tucson Sidewinders players
Toronto Blue Jays players
Venezuelan emigrants to the United States
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada
Washington Nationals players
World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela
2013 World Baseball Classic players