Former New York Yankees top prospect Jesús Montero died, the team announced Sunday. He was 35.
Montero was reportedly involved in a motorcycle crash in Venezuela earlier in October and had been in a medically-induced coma, according to the New York Post.
The Yankees did not provide details regarding Montero’s death, though did confirm the former catcher died.
For many years, Montero was thought to be the next big Yankees superstar. After signing with the team in 2006, Montero tore up the minor leagues in 2007 and 2008. He found himself ranked as the No. 38 prospect in baseball entering the 2009 season, per Baseball America.
Montero hit .337/.389/.562 across multiple minor-league levels that season, vaulting him up prospect boards. He came into the 2010 season ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the game, per BA. Another strong performance moved Montero to No. 3 on BA’s list before the 2011 season. He made his major-league debut that year, playing in 18 games with the Yankees.
That offseason, the Yankees dealt Montero to the Seattle Mariners for pitcher Michael Pineda. It was a challenge trade, as both players were still incredibly young. To that point, Pineda had accomplished much more in the majors, making the All-Star Game as a rookie in 2011.
Montero retained his rookie eligibility entering the 2012 MLB season. He came into the season ranked as the No. 6 prospect on BA’s list.
After being blocked with the Yankees, Montero finally saw a full season of playing time in the majors. He hit .260/.298/.386 over 553 plate appearances for the Mariners in 2012.
Montero got off to a slow start again in 2013 and was demoted to the minors after just 29 games. He tore his meniscus in June and then received a 50-game suspension for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs.
Montero reported to spring training overweight in 2014 and played just six games in the majors that year. He was also involved in an incident in which he angrily confronted a minor-league coach. The Mariners shut Montero down for the rest of the year following the altercation.
He returned to the team the following season, playing in 116 games in the majors. Montero hit just .223/.250/.411, however, causing the Mariners to find replacements in the offseason.
Montero was designated for assignment by the Mariners in 2016. He joined the Toronto Blue Jays and wound up making the Triple-A All-Star team. But Montero received another 50-game suspension at the end of the season, this time for reportedly using a banned stimulant.
He signed with the Orioles ahead of the 2017 season and served his suspension. But he was released after just 51 plate appearances in Triple-A. He spent the next few seasons in the Mexican League.
Montero never returned to the majors following the 2016 season. He posted a 253/.295/.398 slash line over five seasons in the majors.
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