http://riveraveblues.com/2011/11/prospect-profile-mark-montgomery-59805/
Mark Montgomery | RHP
Background
A standout player at Bruton High School in Williamsburg, Virginia, Montgomery
set a school record by striking out 107 batters in 60 IP as a senior. He was
named to the All-District Team his final three years with the Panthers, and was
also named to the All-State and All-Region Teams as a senior. Team MVP and
Player of the Year honors from the Virginia Gazette and All-Daily Press
followed his final year. He also ran track. Montgomery wasn’t much of a pro
prospect at the time though, so he went undrafted in 2009 and headed to
Longwood University.
Before heading to school, Montgomery pitched for the Fairfax Nationals of the
Clark Griffith League (a wood bat collegiate summer league) after graduating.
He earned a spot on the league’s All-Star Team by striking out 28 batters in
15 IP. Once at school, Montgomery started three games and came out of the
bullpen in 17 others as a freshman with the Lancers. He pitched to a 5.57 ERA
with 64 strikeouts and 24 walks in 63 IP, and he didn’t allow a single homer.
Although he was recruited as a shortstop, he ended up on the mound.
Montgomery was installed as Longwood’s closer his sophomore year, saving six
games in 22 appearances. He improved his slider and used it to strike out 45
batters in 35 IP. After the season, he headed to the Coastal Plain League
(another wood bat summer league) and pitched for the Edenton Steamers.
Montgomery struck out 33 and allowed just seven hits in 18 IP, prompting
Baseball America (subs. req’d) to rank him as the eighth best prospect in
the circuit.
Again serving as the Lancers’ closer, Montgomery allowed just a dozen hits
and three earned runs in 30.1 IP as a junior. He struck out 48, and finished
his career at Longwood as the school’s all-time leader in saves (16).
Montgomery made a pair of appearances for the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal
Plain League after the season, striking out five of the seven men he faced.
Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked him as the 18th best prospect in
Virginia prior to the 2011 draft, and the Yankees selected him in the 11th
round, the 359th overall pick. He signed quickly for an unknown bonus.
Pro Debut
Assigned to Short Season Staten Island after signing, Montgomery was not long
for the NY-Penn League. He struck out ten of the 19 men he faced across four
appearances, then was promoted to Low-A Charleston. Montgomery made 22
appearances with the River Dogs, saving 14 games and striking out 41 batters in
24.1 IP. On July 1st, his first appearance with Charleston, he struck out five
Rome Braves in one inning thanks to a pair of wild pitches. All told, he struck
out 51 batters in 28.1 IP after turning pro (16.20 K/9).
Scouting Report
Short and sturdy at 5-foot-11 and 205 lbs., Montgomery has a classic reliever’
s profile. He’s a two-pitch pitcher, sitting 91-92 mph with the fastball and
running it up to 95 on occasion. His bread-and-butter offering is a wipe-out
slider that is just allergic to bats. In their draft report card, Baseball
America (subs. req’d) said the pitch “grades as major league plus already.”
There aren’t many kids out there touting an above-average big slider just a
few weeks after their 21st birthday.
Montgomery’s biggest flaw his control, as he walked 13 batters in his pro
debut (4.13 BB/9). His college walk rate was much better though (3.09 BB/9).
The Yankees have made an effort to acquire players with strong makeup and work
ethic in recent years, and Montgomery is no different. Earlier this summer he
told Adam Himmelsbach that he’s a fan of 1am workouts, and he drinks a Red
Bull in the seventh inning to get amped up for his appearance in the ninth
inning.
2012 Outlook
It was only 24.1 IP, but Montgomery manhandled the Sally League and should move
up to High-A Tampa to open next season. He’ll be in line for a midseason
promotion if he does well there. The Yankees have little reason to hold him
back; relievers should move quickly and they won’t get a real read on how his
stuff plays until he gets to Double-A. Single-A kids don’t have much of a
chance against a big league slider.
My Take
I think it’s impossible to not like Montgomery. He’s got the gaudy
performance with the knockout pitch and scouting report to back up the stats.
The Yankees have done a nice job of turning their middle-of-the-draft picks
into useful players under scouting director Damon Oppenheimer, none better than
David Robertson. Montgomery is cut from a similar cloth — a slightly
undersized, high-strikeout right-handed reliever with a dominant breaking pitch
— though he’ll probably have more of a platoon split than Robertson because
of the slider. Either way, Montgomery is exactly the kind of guy that could
shoot up the minor league ladder and force his way into big league
consideration by 2013.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
※ 編輯: Tukiyomi 來自: 220.134.23.156 (01/05 03:17)