Prospect Profile: Jesus Montero

The Yankees have been blessed over the past 8 years or so by the fact that they have never had to worry about who would be calling their games behind the plate for them. Jorge Posada has had a brilliant career in pinstripes, even enjoying one of his finest seasons in 2007. However, Posada is 36 years old so he’s already past the point where most catchers begin to break down. Thus, the Yankees must begin their search for their catcher of the future. Perhaps the most likely suitor for this position is Jesus Montero, but it would have to be the far off future. Montero is not even old enough to vote yet, he won’t turn 18 until November. Montero was given a $2 million signing bonus after being signed by the Yankees out of Venezuela in 2006. Montero is a big kid at 6’4, 225 lbs, which leads many to believe that he will not stay behind the plate but the Yankees seem confident that he can remain at catcher. Montero’s biggest selling point is his power, which at such a young age is usually the last thing to develop but Montero is already being touted as one of the best power hitting prospects to come out of Latin America since Miguel Cabrera. Montero held his own in his first test in professional baseball, hitting .280 with 3 homers and 19 RBI’s and an impressive .366 OBP in 107 at bats for the GCL Yankees. The three home runs aren’t many, but every scout agrees that the power is there. The sky is the limit for Montero given that he isn’t even old enough to buy a Playboy yet. The Yankees could choose to start him in the GCL again next season, or they could be aggressive and start him off with the Single A Tampa Yankees, or perhaps compromise with the A- Staten Island Yankees. Jesus Montero’s defensive development and whether he switches to a different position will greatly effect how soon it takes him to reach the big leagues, since his offense likely will not take long to develop. Still, I wouldn’t expect to see Montero with the Yankees any sooner then 2010 and even that would be something special, since he would still only be 19 at the start of the 2010 season.