Jesús Montero, a former big-league catcher who appeared in parts of five Major League Baseball seasons, has died at 35, the New York Yankees confirmed on Sunday. Montero died after being involved in a motor vehicle accident in his native Venezuela, per local media.
Montero made his big-league debut in 2011 after a period of being recognized as one of the game’s brightest young talents thanks to his potent offensive potential. Baseball America ranked him as one of the six best prospects in three consecutive springs, from 2010-12, and MLB.com’s 2011 scouting report noted that “he might be an offensive-minded Mike Piazza type, whose bat will help people forget about any defensive deficiencies.”
Montero would appear in just 18 games with the Yankees, hitting .328/.406/.590 across 61 at-bats, before being shipped to the Seattle Mariners as part of a blockbuster four-player trade that also involved right-handed starting pitcher Michael Pineda, among others. (Montero had previously, according to rumor, been floated as part of a plausible deal for left-handed ace Cliff Lee, making him no stranger to that side of the business.)
Montero recorded nearly 800 plate appearances with the Mariners in 226 games, hitting .247/.285/.383 (88 OPS+) with 24 home runs and 92 runs batted in. He would appear in his final big-league game in October 2015. He would later be claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays in March 2016, though he would never reach the majors with them. Montero would then spend part of the 2017 season as a member of the Baltimore Orioles system, again without reaching the game’s highest level.
Montero continued to play in the Venezuelan Winter League until the 2020-21 campaign.
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