The Seattle Mariners received some good news ahead of spring training, which is less than a month away. Catching prospect Jesus Montero has already reached his spring training weight goal of 235 pounds.
Formerly one of the New York Yankees' most prized prospects, Montero was dealt in 2012 to Seattle for their own high-end prospect, right-hander Michael Pineda. While Pineda took some time to contribute anything to the Bronx Bombers thanks to multiple injuries, Montero has made no impact in Seattle because of his own doing.
Montero has battled weight issues and at times been flippant about addressing them. The team has been so down on him that last year general manager Jack Zduriencik said "I have zero expectations for Jesus Montero. Any expectations I had are gone."
Perhaps those comments led to a breakthrough for Montero, whose play was impressive at Triple-A last year. Montero played in 97 games, slashing .286/.350/.489 with 16 home runs and 74 RBI.
Montero is facing tough competition if he wants to make his way back to the big league roster. Mike Zunino flashed big power in an extended opportunity, hitting 22 home runs in 131 games. He posted a putrid .199 batting average, although the Mariners are surely hoping that was a by-product of an especially unfortunate .248 BABIP.
Zunino was also a very good defender behind the plate, while Montero's defense has dogged him since he was drafted. The talk is that Montero's value to teams is purely at the plate, and his MLB future is as a designated hitter.
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