He very well could be in the air flying to Las Vegas right now, but in addition to getting promoted to Triple-A today, Baseball America tabbed Rafael Montero on their weekly Prospect Hot Sheet.
The right-hander made the list because of his seven shutout innings in a win against Altoona on June 8th. The performance included only two hits and one walk allowed, while striking out six.
Montero has been getting a lot of attention today, and rightfully so. I talked about his hot streak in this week’s MMN Top-10 Tracker, and we also covered the story of him getting promoted to Triple-A just a few hours ago. Here’s what the Baseball America staff had to say about the fourth ranked prospect on MMN:
Montero made a spot start for Triple-A Las Vegas on May 21, but following his return to Binghamton he’s been nearly unhittable. He hasn’t allowed a run in three starts, spanning 20 innings, while opponents have collected just 11 hits in 71 at-bats (.155), while striking out 18 times and hitting zero extra-base hits. Montero’s 0.90 WHIP ranks sixth in the minors, which is no fluke given that he finished second in the minors in that category last year.
While there is a little apprehension about watching Montero take the mound in the unfriendly pitching conditions that is the Pacific Coast League, we’ll soon be able to see what he’s made of. This is his third professional season in the Mets organization, and the 22-year-old has experienced nothing but success during his trip through the farm system.
Montero has never seen his season ERA go above 2.50, and has finished each year with a winning record. In 266.1 innings pitched during his professional career, the righty is 23-13 with a 2.33 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 253 strikeouts, and only 43 walks. His career BB/9IP currently stands at 1.5, while his K/9IP is 8.5.
One way or another, he’s ready for the challenge that is Triple-A, and I’m looking to seeing how he can handle it.
(cover photo courtesy of Gordon Donovan)
Is good that he got promoted. The adversity of Vegas will test his character. Lets see how he responds.
I still think people make too big of a deal. Are the conditions optimal?? No way. But guess what…those conditions are better than every MLB park, because MLB parks have MLB lineups…and those lineups are a lot scarier than Vegas ever will be.
That said, congrats Rafael.
Eager to see how he does in Vegas. That said, barring injury in NY, two things are likely to prevent us seeing Montero in NY this year: innings cap at about 150 innings (mid-late Aug shutdown?) and the fact that he’s not yet Rule 5 eligible, so the team may need the 40-man spot this Dec to protect someone else.
Given that, I still expect him to contend for a starting gig in NY in March 2014.