You can now follow Beating the Bushes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NYP_Bushes
**********
After blistering through both the High-A Florida State League and the Double-A Eastern League, catcher Jesus Montero’s season has come to an end because of a broken middle finger on his left hand suffered in Saturday night’s game at Double-A Altoona. Montero, the 19-year-old Venezuelan who is the Yankees’ top prospect as well as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, has been tearing the cover off the ball of late for Double-A Trenton. In the 10 games leading up to his injury, Montero was hitting .359 (14-for-39) with two homers, nine RBIs, four doubles and four runs scored.
“You’re not going to see many guys hit the ball as far and hard as he does, that’s for sure,” Trenton manager Tony Franklin said at the Eastern League All-Star Game in Trenton last month.
Montero, who was named the No. 3 overall prospect in baseball by Baseball America last month, is hitting .337 with 17 homers and 70 RBIs in 92 games between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton this season. In 48 games with Tampa, Montero hit .359 with eight homers and 37 RBIs. In 44 games with Trenton he hit .317 with nine homers and 33 RBIs.
“I was talking with another scout about him the other day. I will tell you what. He can get up there and swing the bat with anybody,” a scout said about Montero earlier this season. “He’s 19, not intimidated, can hit any kind of pitching . . . he will really be a good one.”
Montero’s one drawback is his defense. While he has worked on improving it, at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds as a 19-year-old it seems very unlikely he will be able to stay behind the plate long-term. Catchers as big as Montero have either underwhelmed in the major leagues (Texas’ Jarrod Saltalamacchia) or have had a long string of injuries (Minnesota’s Joe Mauer).
Montero has established himself as someone to watch in the Yankees system, and should be in the majors to stay by no later that Opening Day of 2011 — and there’s a good chance that he will see significant time with the Bombers next season as a 20-year-old.
tbontemps@nypost.com