Continuing the series of video clips from Mets spring training, I was able to catch some of Rafael Montero's work against the University of Michigan at Tradition Field this afternoon. Montero is another of the Mets' young, highly-touted pitchers. He spent last season between Savannah and St. Lucie and put up great numbers for both teams. His strikeouts actually improved after he got the bump up to St. Lucie. Here he is pitching against Michigan:
Rob Castellano ranked Montero eighth overall in the Mets' system on his Top 50 Prospects list, and here's what he had to say about him:
The 22-year old was a revelation this season, dominating SAL competition by utilizing his trademark surgical command (see, 1.01 walks per nine). Then in eight starts with St. Lucie he got even better, posting a strikeout per nine just a shade under ten. In short, Montero is a highly advanced pitcher who seemed to get better by the day. And I'm not talking about his stuff -- though his low 90's fastball is enough, his slider is useable, and his change-up is already a plus offering. The key is that he has a tremendous feel for mixing his pitches and will truly throw any pitch in any count, showing polish beyond his years. Remember, this kid won an Organizational Sterling Award in the Gulf Coast League in 2011. Some scouts see him as a reliever long-term thanks to his diminutive build (6', 170 lbs is generous). However, while he may not profile as a future ace, I fully expect that he'll continue having success as a starter all the way up the chain.