MLB

Bushes Yankees Minor League Player of the Year: Jesus Montero

The Yankees entered 2008 with the hopes of incorporating young pitchers Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy into the starting rotation while also continuing to win. Despite the clear failure of that plan, as Hughes and Kennedy both proved to be ineffective, Chamberlain was injured and the Yankees failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1994, the Yankees minor league affiliates had plenty to smile about in 2008.

Both the Triple-A (Scranton/Wilkes Barre) and Double-A (Trenton) affiliates captured league titles this season (with Trenton taking home its second consecutive title), and the Staten Island Yankees had the best regular season record in the New York-Penn league.

The same parallels can be drawn between the organization’s prospects. Several of the highly touted ones performed well below expectations (Hughes, Kennedy, Alan Horne, Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Tabata), while other less-heralded players performed admirably (David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves, Brett Gardner).

With the introduction out of the way, though, here is the Bushes Yankee Minor League Player of the Year: Jesus Montero.

Player of the Year: Jesus Montero (Charleston): .326, 17 HR, 87 RBI in 132 games.

Jesus Montero may have been 18 years old this season – his first in full season of professional ball – but considering how he played this season, it wouldn’t be out of the question to assume the Venezuelan catcher was 28 years old instead.

Montero was dominant for Low-A Charleston in the South Atlantic League. Montero led the SAL in hits (171), finished second in batting average, fourth in doubles (34) and was tied for sixth in runs (86) and RBI (87). Add to that the fact that Montero was the youngest player on the Charleston roster, and his accomplishments are all the more impressive.

Considering the fact that Montero is already 6-foot-4 and weighs 225 pounds as an 18-year-old, chances are he is going to outgrow his current position behind the plate. That said, it looks like he has a bat that will allow him to play anywhere – though one would have to guess that position would be first base. He should begin next season with High-A Tampa.