Jesús Alejandro Montero López (born 28 November 1989) is a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. Signed by the Yankees in 2006, Montero became one of the best prospects in baseball. He debuted in MLB with the Yankees during the 2011 season, and was traded to the Mariners for Michael Pineda during the 2011-12 offseason. After his rookie year in 2012, Montero struggled with the Mariners in 2013 before ending his season with a 50-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal. He spent most of the 2014 and 2015 seasons in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

. His last major league game occurred on 3 October 2015 for the Mariners. Montero was signed by 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

in 2016 and the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

in 2017 but spent his time on their minor league teams. He was signed by the

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...

in 2017 and Generales de Durango in 2018 but was released from both teams.

Professional career

Minor leagues

On 2 July 2006, Montero, an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

, signed a professional contract with the

(MLB), receiving a $1.6 million

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 ...

. ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' considered Montero to be the best player available and the best

power hitter Power hitter is a term used in baseball for a skilled player that has a higher than average ability in terms of his Batting (baseball), batting, featuring a combination of dexterity and personal strength that likely leads to a high number of hom ...

in the 2006 international free agent class. In 2007, at age 17, Montero made his professional debut in

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

for the Gulf Coast Yankees of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Gulf Coast League. As a result of his performance, the Yankees invited Montero to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2008, where he hit a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

in his only

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

before being assigned to minor league camp. He spent the 2008 season with the

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Char ...

of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

, where he batted .326 with 17 home runs and 87

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBI), with two

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions 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 out ...

s. Montero was named to the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

, which features baseball's best minor league prospects. ''Baseball America'' rated him as the Yankees' second best prospect and best power hitter after the 2008 season. Montero began the 2009 season with the Tampa Yankees, the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

affiliate of the Yankees. On 3 June 2009, the Yankees promoted Montero to the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

of the Double–A Eastern League. He hit .317 with nine home runs and 33 RBI in 44 games with the Thunder. Despite having played only a portion of the 2009 season in Trenton, Montero was added to the Eastern League All-Star roster. ''Baseball America'' ranked Montero as the third-best prospect in baseball at midseason in 2009. He was named to appear in the

for the second year in a row. Montero's season ended prematurely when he sustained a broken finger while catching. Jesus Montero 2010

At the start of the 2010 season, ''Baseball America'' ranked Montero as the Yankees' best prospect, and as the fourth-best prospect in all of baseball. The Yankees invited Montero to spring training, where Yankees'

hitting coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

Kevin Long declared him ready for the majors as a hitter, though the team wanted to see improvement on defense. Montero spent the 2010 season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees of the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. Early in the season, Montero struggled, but he improved after the All-Star break. Montero admitted that he did not spend as much time practicing in the batting cage as he should, and that

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, third baseman and designated hitter and current businessman. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (ML ...

started fining Montero $100 for every day he didn't work out in the cage. At the 2010 MLB trade deadline, the Yankees and

almost completed a deal that would have sent Montero, Zach McAllister, and David Adams to the Mariners in exchange for Cliff Lee. When the teams shared medical reports, the Mariners were concerned by Adams' ankle injury. As a result, they chose to trade Lee to the Texas Rangers in a package centered around Justin Smoak. Montero was named to appear in the International League All-Star game He finished the season with a .289 batting average, 21 home runs, and 75 RBI in 123 games. Montero was honored on the International League's Postseason All-Star team, and was chosen as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Player of the Year. ''Baseball America'' rated Montero as the third-best prospect in baseball before the 2011 season. Montero contended for a spot on the Yankees' 25-man roster in spring training in 2011. Yankees officials believed Montero was ready to be the starting catcher, which would have enabled Jorge Posada to shift to

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

, though the signing of Russell Martin allowed the Yankees to be patient with Montero. A spring training injury to Francisco Cervelli gave the Yankees an opportunity to use Montero as Martin's backup, but Montero performed poorly with the pressure, and the team decided it was best for Montero to play every day in the minor leagues, rather than two games a week in the majors. Montero began the 2011 season in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Montero batted .288 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on the season.

New York Yankees (2011)

2011 season

The Yankees promoted Montero to the major leagues on 1 September 2011, as a

September call-up A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

. He started his first major league game that same day as the designated hitter against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

. Montero went 0-for-4, but was

hit by a pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provide ...

and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning. He made his first start at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

on 3 September 2011, against the

. He went 1-for-3, hitting a single to left field in the sixth inning with two outs for his first major league hit. On 5 September, during a game against the

, Montero hit his first two home runs of his major league career and the Yankees took an 11–10 victory. Jesus_Montero

Montero became the first 21-year-old rookie to hit two home runs in one of his first five games since

Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican Americans (Dominican Republic), Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played wit ...

did in 1993. Montero started his first game as a catcher against the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

on 11 September. Against the Red Sox on 24 September, Montero fell a triple short of

hitting for the cycle In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hit (baseball), hits a single (baseball), single, a double (baseball), double, a triple (baseball), triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that ...

. Montero ended the year with a .328 batting average, which included four home runs and 28 RBIs in 18 games.

Seattle Mariners (2012–2015)

During the 2011–12 off season, the Yankees traded Montero with Héctor Noesí for Michael Pineda and José Campos. The Mariners had finished last in runs scored in the past two years, and their need for a right-handed power hitter led them to trade Pineda from their depth of top-tier pitching prospects. Yankees'

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Brian Cashman said that Montero "may well be the best player I’ve ever traded".

2012 season

''Baseball America'' ranked Montero as the sixth-best prospect in baseball before the 2012 season. Montero made the Mariners'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster in 2012. During the season, the Mariners split his playing time between catcher and designated hitter, and he appeared in a total of 135 games. Despite the high expectations he established with the Yankees in 2011, he was not an MLB Rookie of the Year Award finalist. Montero finished the 2012 season with a .260 batting average, 15 home runs, and 62 RBIs.

2013 season

Montero began his 2013 season slowly as he compiled only a .208 batting average, three home runs, and nine RBIs in his first 29 games played. He was demoted to the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

on 23 May 2013. As he struggled throwing out

baserunner In baseball, base running is the act of running from base to base, performed by members of the team at bat. Base running is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home base ( home plate) to score a run. Batters strive ...

s attempting

s, the Mariners played Montero as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the first time in his professional career. He struggled offensively with Tacoma, batting .247 with one home run and nine RBIs. On 1 June, it was announced that Montero had sustained a torn meniscus in his left knee. Needing surgery to repair it, Montero was ruled out of any active competition for a period of four to six weeks. On 5 August, Montero accepted a 50-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis baseball scandal, by which the Biogenesis of America clinic supplied

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances (PESs), also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. Many substances, such as anabolic steroids, can be used to improve at ...

to MLB players. After the regular season, Montero returned to Venezuela to play in the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (, or LVBP) is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Background and predecessors Baseball had been play ...

(VPBL). A hand injury that occurred while in a car accident ended his participation in the VPBL for the season.

2014 season

Montero showed up for 2014 spring training weighing , above his target weight. He said, "After winter ball, all I did was eat." Mariners' general manager Jack Zduriencik said he has "zero expectations" about Montero. He was cut from spring training camp in mid-March and spent much of the season in the minor leagues. He batted .286 in 97 games for Tacoma, hitting 16 home runs with 74 RBIs. He suffered an oblique strain late in the season, and while on the disabled list, played for the

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seatin ...

of the

Class A-Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (crea ...

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseba ...

on a rehab assignment. In an August game against the

Boise Hawks The Boise Hawks are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium in unincorporated Ada County, Idaho, near ...

, Montero was involved in an altercation with roving instructor Butch Baccala. As Montero, serving as the first base coach for the AquaSox, left the field at the conclusion of an inning, Baccala heckled him from the stands, telling Montero to leave the field in a timely manner. Baccala then sent an ice cream sandwich to the dugout for Montero. Montero was not happy to be reminded of his earlier weight problem. He grabbed a bat, found Baccala in the stands, and threw the sandwich at Baccala while yelling expletives. The Mariners organization barred Montero from playing the rest of the 2014 season for this incident. Zduriencik stated:

"First off, it is clear that both Jesus Montero and Butch Baccala engaged in behavior that is far below what we expect from members of our organization, including bad judgment at nearly every stage of this incident. I want to apologize on behalf of the Mariners franchise to the Boise Hawks and their fans. We recognize that fans, including children, were impacted by this incident, and the language that was used. We recognize the severity of this incident, and want to assure the Hawks and their fans that it will be dealt with appropriately."

2015 season

Montero trained in

Peoria, Arizona Peoria ( ) is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. Most of the city is located in Maricopa County, while a portion of it in the north is in Yavapai County. It is a major suburb of Phoenix. As of the 2020 cens ...

, over the offseason, rather than returning to Venezuela. He reported to spring training in 2015 at , and apologized for the incident in Boise. The Mariners optioned him to Tacoma two weeks before the beginning of the season to continue to receive regular at bats. While with Tacoma, the team's coaches noted that Montero's defense at first base had improved, to the point where Cory Snyder opined that Montero could play the position in the majors. After Montero batted .332 with 15 home runs and 68 RBIs in 84 games for Tacoma, the Mariners promoted him to the major leagues on 9 July. He batted 3-for-10 while drawing three walks in five games before he was optioned back to Tacoma on 19 July. The Mariners recalled Montero on 31 July, after trading several players at the MLB trade deadline. Though he began by batting 13-for-40 (.325) with the Mariners, his batting average fell to .200 by September as he fell into a 2-for-35 (.057) slump. The Mariners optioned Montero to Tacoma on 2 September, despite there only being six games left in Tacoma's season. He finished the season with a .355 average in 98 games for Tacoma, but a .223 average with 32

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 116

plate appearance In baseball, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner. This ha ...

s for the Mariners. After the 2015 season, the Mariners acquired Adam Lind, a left-handed hitter, as their starting first baseman. In spring training in 2016, Montero competed with Stefen Romero and Dae-ho Lee to be the right-handed hitting complement to Lind.

Toronto Blue Jays

On 27 March 2016, Montero was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Mariners, and the following day, was claimed by the

off of waivers. The Blue Jays assigned Montero to the

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 ...

of the International League on 1 April, outrighting him off of their 40-man roster. In 126 games for the Triple–A

, Montero slashed .317/.349/.438 with 11 home runs and 60 RBI, and was named an International League post-season All Star. He was also named to appear in the Triple-A All-Star Game. After the conclusion of the regular season, Montero was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance. He elected free agency on 7 November.

Baltimore Orioles

On 3 January 2017, Montero agreed to minor league contract with the

. After serving his suspension, he made his season debut for the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

of the International League. After batting .143 with 14 strikeouts in 49 at bats, the Orioles released Montero on 27 June.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On 11 July 2017, Montero signed with the

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 21 appearances for the Sultanes, he slashed .349/.406/.446 with one home run and 17 RBI. Montero was released before the start of the 2018 season on 23 January 2018.

Generales de Durango

On 15 February 2018, he signed with the Generales de Durango of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 27 games for Durango, he hit .273/.349/.382 with two home runs and 16 RBI. Montero was released by the Generales on 24 April. He played for two teams in the Venezuelan Winter League 2018-2019 season. He played for Aguilas del Zulia during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons.

Personal life

Montero is married. With his wife, fitness model Taneth (nee Gimenez), Montero has a daughter, Loren, born in April 2014. In 2015, Taneth became pregnant with the couple's second child.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montero, Jesus 1989 births Living people Arizona League Mariners players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cardenales de Lara players Charleston RiverDogs players Generales de Durango players Gulf Coast Yankees players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Mexican League baseball first basemen Navegantes del Magallanes players New York Yankees players Norfolk Tides players Baseball players from Guacara Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Seattle Mariners players Sultanes de Monterrey players Tacoma Rainiers players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States