It’s too early to tell if Jesus Montero has the power to awaken a dead-wood Mariners lineup, but the pronunciation of his first name might be an omen.
“Hey! Zeus!”
Last September, four games into Montero’s call-up to the major leagues, he hit back-to-back home runs for the New York Yankees.
(Observers of the Mariners can be forgiven for their unfamiliarity with this aspect of baseball. A home run – also known as a “circuit clout” and a “jack” – is when the ball is hit over the fence.)
Montero’s raw potential as a slugger mitigates the fact that he doesn’t really have a position. The Yankees groomed him to be a catcher, but his defense, to put it charitably, is a work in progress.
Still, Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik thought enough of Montero’s natural power – he’s 6-foot-3, 235 pounds – to make him the centerpiece of a deal that moved the offseason seismic meter on two coasts.
Trading a 22-year old prospect who’ll be under control of his team for six season is rare. Trading a top prospect for a 22-year old named to the All-Star team as a rookie qualifies as historic.
If you’re wary of Zduriencik’s decision to part with pitcher Michael Pineda – I get the sense the public is split about 50-50 – you should realize Yankees fans are not unanimously in favor of it, either.
Montero long has been touted as the prize of a farm system ravaged by the Steinbrenner regime’s determination to win now, and let the blue chips fall where they may.
Montero’s Triple-A numbers weren’t gaudy in 2011, but when he finally got his promotion, he raked, hitting .328 with four homers in 18 games. Granted, that’s a sample the size of a cookie crumb – and September stats, produced against a lot of pitchers who’ve just been called up themselves, always demand suspicion – but Zduriencik has been tracking Montero for years.
The trade the Mariners forever will remember was made possible because the Yankees chose to forget how they were jilted by Zduriencik on the eve of the 2010 non-waiver trading deadline. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman believed a deal was done – All-Star pitcher Cliff Lee to New York for a package of Montero and two lesser prospects – only to learn Zduriencik had negotiated a swap with Texas that brought Justin Smoak to the M’s.
“That’s not right,” a general manager, whose name wasn’t revealed, told the New York Post. “You don’t do that with any team and you don’t do that with the Yankees, because Cashman will drop you in a heartbeat. You don’t use the Yankees because they never forget.”
Eighteen months and countless Brian Cashman heartbeats later, the Yankees not only talked with Zduriencik, they traded him the player he wanted all along.
To paraphrase the only memorable words ever spoken by U.S. president Calvin Coolidge: the business of baseball is business.
It’s easy to endorse a trade – and I’ve been guilty of this – by disparaging the work of the guy who got traded. I can’t disparage Pineda. Yes, his momentum ebbed after his All-Star appearance – he was 1-4 during the second half with a 5.12 ERA over 10 starts – but his first full season in the big leagues was uncharted territory, physically and emotionally.
There’s a wow-factor with Pineda, who at 6-7 and 260 more resembles a basketball power forward, or a football defensive end, than a prototypical pitcher.
Pineda leaves Seattle with a legacy: The minor leaguer responsible for one of Dave Niehaus’ most delicious sound bites.
“Diabolical!, was how Niehaus described Pineda’s strike-three slider during a 2010 Cactus League game. “Owww! That stank!”
Niehaus adored baseball, but spring-training exhibitions were not his favorite assignment. A pitcher capable of extracting that kind of emotion from Dave Niehaus, in March, is a pitcher capable of bringing 50,000 Yankee Stadium fans to their feet. If the kid ever gets a grip on how to throw a change-up – the secret is in the grip – he’s headed for the Hall of Fame.
And yet, as much as I’m impressed by Pineda’s, uh diabolical-ness, I’m putting a fervent thumbs-up grade on this trade. Zduriencik has assembled a stockpile of minor-league pitchers capable of joining the rotation sometime soon, and the stockpile begins with left-hander Danny Hultzen, the Mariners’ first-round selection in the 2011 draft.
The former University of Virginia ace will compete for a roster spot, and don’t be surprised if he’s starting games in April.
But acquiring a power hitter was Zduriencik’s No. 1 priority over the winter. Jesus Montero has power.
All together now: Hey! Zeus!
Come spring, those two words will sound like music. Trust me.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.