Random Prospect Sunday - Jose Montilla
Though he has some of the best control in the system, can Montilla advance much further?
(Yeah, yeah, I know it’s not Sunday. Because of a personal emergency yesterday morning/afternoon, I couldn’t post this article. But soldier on, we must.)
Did you know that the 128th President of Catalonia was named Jose Montilla? Well, anyway, the Braves also have a Jose Montilla who, I'm roughly 99% sure, hasn't been president of an autonomous community within another country.
Born in the Dominican Republic on June 4, 1998, Montilla was originally signed on June 1, 2017. Technically, that would kind of mean he was part of the 2016-17 class that included Kevin Maitan. But Maitan and company's signings, which happened 11 months earlier, were just a little different.
A day after turning 19, and just four days after signing, Montilla made his professional debut. That's not overly surprising considering his age, of course. Montilla would be somewhat impressive considering he had little time at the complex ahead of getting into action. Over 44 innings covering 14 games, including ten starts, Montilla had just a 3.07 ERA though his peripheral numbers weren't eye-catching. The righty would even come stateside to make a pair of starts in the Gulf Coast League (now called the Florida Complex League).
Now 20, Montilla headed to Danville next. I miss the Danville Braves. Montilla would get off to a great start with the D-Braves. In his first six starts, Montilla had a 2.10 ERA and 28 Ks in 34.1 innings. He even took home a Pitcher of the Week award for his seven scoreless innings against the Burlington Royals. Unfortunately, the second half of the season was pretty ugly with a 6.56 ERA. Overall, he maintained a 4.37 ERA and a decent 2.8 K/BB rate. Montilla would move to the bullpen the following year, finishing the season with a 3.03 ERA in 74.1 innings, covering 31 games. That performance landed him a spot in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game.
And then, the world kind of went to crap and Montilla missed a year due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, 2021 was also lost due to injury and it wasn't until June of 2022 that he once again pitched in a professional game. Over the season, which included three stops, he took the ball 20 times with a trio of starts. As usual, his strikeout numbers didn't stand out, but somewhat surprisingly for a pitcher who missed so much time due to injury, he maintained a solid walk rate. That, coupled with a low batting average against, led Montilla to finish the 2022 campaign with a sparkling 2.16 ERA in 33.1 innings. Originally, Montilla was announced to join the Arizona Fall League's Scottsdale Scorpions after the season, but William Woods was later announced as a replacement.
Montilla opened this season in Mississippi, getting a shot at Double-A for the first time. It did not go well. He had four different outings where he got hammered for three or more earned runs including a nine-run, eight-earned outburst on May 30. Sometimes, you just kind of have to wear one, though. By mid-June, he was heading back to Rome. He performed admirably there and returned to Mississippi recently. Unfortunately, he gave up five runs, four earned, in just two innings in his first game with the M-Braves in nearly two months. With Double-A using the "enhanced-grip" ball, Montilla may be suffering because he's so dependent on control. More added movement might be costing him his typical command, leading to an increase in walks and setting a new high in homeruns allowed. Whatever the case, Montilla just hasn't looked impressive in Mississippi.
In terms of velocity, Montilla won't wow you. He'll touch 94-95 with his fastball and sprinkles in a slurvy slider along with a changeup. But his success, or lack thereof, revolves around his location and command. If Montilla hits his spots, he has a better chance of inducing the kind of weak contact he requires to survive. It's when he can't do that - as too often this season in Double-A has shown - that the hits start adding up. Montilla needs to get the ball down in the zone. In his recent start against Rocket City, a lot of his pitches were high and hammered.
Can Montilla turn the tide and again post positive results? Well, let's just say time is not his friend. Due to the pandemic and injuries, he's 25 and hasn't looked good at Double-A. His future in the organization might depend a lot on what the Braves see over the next month of games. If Montilla finishes better than he started, he might be in the mix for next year's Mississippi roster. If he continues to struggle, it might be his final month in a Braves uniform.
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