Mets #98 overall prospect (according to MLB.com) Rafael Montero has been struggling in the bigs this year. He's been 0-3 with a 6.12 ERA, along with an alarming 8 HRs, 13 walks, and 17 ER given up through only 25 innings pitched. Mets fans have seen almost nothing but bad outings from Montero in the Majors so far. Ironically enough, in the minors he is 6-3 with a 3.28 ERA, and only 4 HRs, 32 walks, and 27 ER through 74 innings. And they say that pitching is worse in Triple-A. So, after reviewing these stats, what's the reason for these bad outings in the big leagues? I have to think that he has jitters and the Major League hitters taking advantage of it. It doesn't help that the teams he's faced include the Yankees, Dodgers, and Nationals. Even so, he had a bad outing against the terrible Phillies. His only good outing was against the Diamondbacks, where he went 6 innings, gave up 1 ER, and struck out 10.
We all know that he has the potential. But when will he blossom into the player that everyone hopes that he will be? The answer is, nobody knows. It's up to him to toughen up and just play ball, not be nervous. I think that Dan and Terry need to talk with Montero before tomorrow’s game to calm his nerves. Maybe even Wally can talk to Montero tomorrow. But whatever needs to happen needs to happen now. He won't be the big prospect people are talking about when Syndergaard comes up. He might be booted out of the rotation if he doesn't show improvement. But I think there's one thing everyone can agree on: For Montero, the time is now.