New Kid in Town: Montanez Makes the Majors
The last few days have been a journey for Bowie Baysox/Orioles OF Lou Montanez:
Friday - He hits for the cycle at Altoona, going 5-6 in the game and ties the team record with 8 RBI.
Sunday - He completes his big weekend at Altoona going 9-15 in the series with two homers and 11 RBI.
Monday - He is named Eastern League Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, after going 18-31 (.581) during the week with 3 homers and 15 RBI. Monday night he goes 1-2 to extend his current hitting streak to 19 games before leaving the game for a pinch-hitter. Later he is informed that after playing over 900 Minor League games since 2000, he is headed to join the Orioles on the West Coast.
Tuesday - He is named the Eastern League Player of the Month for July and the Orioles Minor League Player of the Month for July after batting .352-8-29. Also Tuesday he is officially added to the O's roster as Adam Jones is placed on the DL.
It's been an amazing year and an amazing few weeks for the 26-year-old, right-handed hitter. Montanez signed with the O's before last season, then hit .288 in 100 games between Bowie and Norfolk. But this year he has taken his game to a new level.
At the time of his recall, Montanez was batting .335-26-97 and was leading the Eastern League in average, homers, RBI, hits, extra-base hits, slugging and runs. He was trying to become the 5th in League history and first since 1975 to win the Eastern League Triple Crown.
That is now on hold as he has finally made the Majors.
"I wish I could explain it, I really can't," Montanez said about the keys to his monster, breakout season. "Getting regular playing time for one has been big. The O's promised me after last year that if I re-signed for this year that I'd play every day and they kept their word. It's just great to get regular at bats. Maybe I've exceeded expectations; I probably have."
Montanez can't get much hotter at the plate. He leaves Bowie riding a 19-game hitting streak, during which he batted .473 (35-74) with six homers and 29 RBI. His 63 extra-base hits is already a Baysox single-season record.
"I've matured physically. I've gotten stronger at 26. Beyond that, I've not really done anything different this season."
Montanez was the third overall pick in round one by the Cubs in the 2000 draft. He was a slick-fielding shortstop from Miami's Coral Park High. In 2004 he was shifted to the outfield and said the decision was mutual between himself and Cubs management.
After the 2006 season he was a Minor League free agent and decided to leave the Cubs. He began to think signing with the Orioles might be his best move.
"I saw they needed some outfielders. Plus their 40-man roster was heavy with left-handed hitters. And I had a relationship with Dave Trembley and Andy MacPhail when I was with the Cubs."
So the once-hyped prospect who never rose above A ball for most of his first six seasons, decided to sign with Baltimore. After the 2007 season he re-signed with the O's after he was promised regular playing time in 2008.
Now, the frustrations of his early career don't seem so bad.
"It was frustrating, I wasn't playing as well as I wanted to. Maybe college ball would have helped me. But it has not been a disappointing career, I've made several All-Star games, played in the Futures game (2005). It's all been a wonderful experience."
Until he joined the O's, Montanez made up a formidable middle of the Baysox order with Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold.
"They protect me and I protect them. It's been great, we probably have the most dangerous middle of the order in Double-A ball. We're so competitive, we want to outdo each other."
But can Lou's great 2008 season be credited to his breakfast regimen? He's not really superstitious but does admit he starts every day consuming the same breakfast meal.
"I just like to eat the same thing each day, it starts the day for me and makes me feel comfortable. It's usually some eggs, French toast and then some type of breakfast meat"
A further look at Lou's great 2008 season:
2000-2007 in Minors: Career average of .274 and 1 HR every 54.7 at bats
2008 with Bowie: Batting average of .335 and 1 HR every 17.3 at bats
More info on Lou:
2000 Named Baseball America's best prospect in Arizona League and named League MVP
2001 Midwest League all-star
2004 Northwest League mid-season and post-season all-star
2005 Midwest League all-star, Plays in Futures Game
2008 Eastern League all-star, two-time League player of the week
you forgot about Teixeira, but no i dont see Lou being a starting SS in the ML. Its a relly demanding position that you cant take a break from. If you're going to be a SS in the bigs you have to be a SS every game till you get called up.
Will Orioles bosses give Montanez a shot at the Shortstop job... All the info says he was very slick fielder.... It only makes sense to have him take some grounder and DP pracice and give it a shot? He could be the man for the job!!! That allows you to run out one helluva future 2009 line-up if it works!!!
Roberts-2b
Jones- CF
Markakis-RF
Huff-DH
Wieters-C
Mora-3b
Scott-LF
Millar-1b
Montanez-SS
Backups
Hernandez-C,DH
Reimold-OF,DH
Castro-3b,2b,SS