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ESPN’s Keith Law was in St. Louis for Sunday’s Futures Game, and mentioned Jesus Montero and Wilmer Flores in his writeup of some prospects from the game. Here is what he had to say about the two. Montero:
Montero showed big power in batting practice with a tightly wound swing that he unleashes on the ball with good bat speed, and he’s got a great idea of the strike zone for any hitter, much less one as young as he is. His arm is fine behind the plate, but he’s big and slow for a catcher, and it is optimistic to think he’ll stay there long-term. Fortunately, that bat will play anywhere.
Updated on Monday: I wrote about Montero on Sunday, but after looking over his batting practice video, I noticed that he glides pretty severely during his swing, so he’s hitting off his front foot by the time he makes contact. I don’t think it means anything at this point — he’s so strong that he’s hitting for power despite it — but it’s something to keep in mind if his power production down the line is a little less than expected. For what it’s worth, the comparison that came to mind as I watched the video frame by frame was Frank Thomas, who hit 521 home runs with his weight on his front foot.
Flores:
Flores is another glider but, like Montero, he makes his swing work for him anyway. He has quick wrist acceleration and a very direct path to the ball with a good finish that has some loft in it. He’s nowhere as physical as Montero, so I wouldn’t bank on him hitting for power the way Montero can with all his weight forward.