John Sickels, author of “2010 Baseball Prospect Book,” is posting excerpts from his book on his site. Yesterday, he included a brief on Yankees uber-prospect Jesus Montero. Here’s what he said:
Jesus Montero is an amazing young hitter. He has excellent power to all fields. Although not a walk machine, he controls the zone well and doesn't strike out very much for a power hitter. He hits fastballs. He hits breaking balls. You might fool him once but don't try the same trick too soon or he'll make you pay. He murdered the Florida State League to the tune of a +45 percent OPS, and he remained extremely successful in the Eastern League at +26 OPS despite%2Mark Teixeira a lot of money. For now, Montero will remain behind the plate, waiting for a DH spot to open up in New York. He could also be traded, but any trade involving Montero as a centerpiece would have to be a blockbuster. I have absolutely no doubts about Montero's bat. Despite the questions about his glove, Montero rates as pure Grade A prospect. The bat is that good.
if you aren’t excited about him yet, you should be. Will he replace Jorge Posada eventually? We’ll see, but he’s only 20 years old. Other experts have compared him to Paul Konerko because he originally came up as a catcher but moved to 1B/DH.
