By James Bailey
The standings may not offer much optimism to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but their season hasn’t been completely void of positive stories. Right fielder Justin Upton has emerged as one of the top young players in the game. Third baseman Mark Reynolds is second in the majors with 37 home runs. Starter Dan Haren is a legitimate contender for the NL Cy Young Award. And over the past two months, catcher Miguel Montero has been one of the best hitters in the league.
Montero, in his third season, appeared to be regressing early in the year. As a part-timer, backing up starter Chris Snyder, he was hitting just .229 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 140 at-bats through June 26. The lefty swinger then collected seven hits over the final three games in June and recorded at least one hit in 20 of his next 22 games. Since June 26 he’s batting .363 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 146 at-bats.
Snyder strained his back in late June, opening the door for Montero to start regularly. Montero then hit so well he earned the No. 1 job outright. That’s something the Diamondbacks have been waiting for since he came up in 2007. A promising hitter in the minor leagues, Montero hit just .224 as a rookie, though he managed 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in 214 at-bats. In last year’s followup, he batted .255, but his home runs and RBIs were halved (5 HRs, 18 RBIs in 184 AB).
Over the winter the Diamondbacks signed Snyder to a three-year, $14.5 million extension, which included an option for the 2012 season. That seemed to send a signal that Montero had slid out of the team’s long-term plans. In January the Boston newspapers reported trade talks that had the 25-year-old going to the Red Sox for young pitching, but nothing materialized.
Montero’s spring training was interrupted in March when his father passed away. Despite missing a week when he went home to Venezuela for the funeral, he posted fine Cactus League numbers, hitting .295 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 44 at-bats. Snyder, who was already assured of the starting role hit .317 and matched Montero’s home run total.
Montero managed just 26 at-bats in April. His first opportunity for expanded playing time came in early May, when A.J. Hinch took over as manager after the firing of Bob Melvin. Montero started and went 2-for-4 in Hinch’s first game on May 8. He finished the month with 54 at-bats, though he batted just .222 with three RBIs.
Hinch has noticed a difference in Montero since he first saw regular playing time following Snyder’s injury.
“He’s a lot more productive, and certainly that leads to confidence, which leads to playing with a little more ease,” Hinch told the Arizona Republic. “He’s settling into a zone and has been a very fun guy to watch develop, a fun guy to put in the lineup every day and obviously we need more of his spirit, his competitiveness on the field because he’s a good leader.”
With seven weeks remaining, Montero has already established career highs in every significant offensive category. He’s batting .297 in 286 at-bats, with 23 doubles, 12 homers and 41 RBIs. Eleven of his home runs have come off of righthanders, against whom he’s batting .295 with an .877 OPS.
