Like all other Yankees blogs out there, we've done our share of talking about Montero. Until recently, you didn't hear many positive things about his work behind the dish, but as you can see, that's beginning to change.Montero is a lock to make a lot of money with the bat, but yesterday he threw out two Pirates attempting to steal second, drew the respect of Phil Hughes and David Robertson and had the scouts’ section buzzing with the improvement he has made from a year ago.
“For a guy who has his type of bat, I have a lot of respect for how hard he has worked to improve [defensively] from last year,” Hughes said after a 2-0 loss to the Pirates at McKechnie Field.
Robertson’s eyes widened when asked about Montero, who went 0-for-3 and is 1-for-6 in two games.
“I first saw him when I signed here and it’s amazing how much better he has gotten,” Robertson said. “He sets up good, blocks balls in the dirt and stays down. He looks good.”
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It was under two [seconds] for the second one,” Girardi said of Montero’s time getting the ball to second base. “The first one we didn’t get.”
Until the throws, Montero wasn’t noticed. He didn’t drop balls and went to the dirt quickly to block balls.
“He was really, really good,” Girardi said. “The first [throw] the guy was going on a 3-2 pitch down. They were two good throws.”
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“I like Montero, I think he is going to be a big-time player,” a scout said. “I know he is big (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), but he will be fine. All he has to do is just keep on catching.”
Knowing how hard the kid has worked should put a smile on every Yankees fan's face. When you have an athlete, in any sport, with a ton of natural talent along with the willingness to do whatever it takes to improve you usually have someone very special on your hands. It's usually the difference between a good player and a great player.