Position: Catcher
2016 Stats: .216/.327/.357, .257 TAv, 2.1 WARP
Year in Review:
Recency bias would have been kind to Miguel Montero if not for some surprising off-the-cuff remarks on the day of the World Series victory parade and rally a few weeks ago. What made them surprising was not so much that Montero had spoken so freely, but rather the timing and content of his complaints. Follow Montero on Twitter for a season and it will become plain that he does not mince words and doesn’t filter himself, but until November 4, that had always been a positive.
In his interview with ESPN 1000 that day, he shared that it was the level of communication that had gotten to him, particularly during the World Series, “I expected to be treated a little better. I was expected to get communication. Just let me know. Put me in the loop. That was the toughest part for me because I never understood what my role was going to be.” He cited his veteran experience and All-Star appearances in support of deserving a higher level of communication, but perhaps he should have just shown Joe Maddon this. Or even this.
His postseason numbers otherwise are not necessarily surprising, but a pinch hit grand slam in Game One of the NLCS and then a pinch hit RBI single in the tenth inning of the final game of the World Series are enough to cement his legend in Cubs lore. And only adding to the ethos is the fact that, in both cases, the opposing manager walked the batter in front of him to bring him to the plate, assuming an easier out. The apparent confusion surrounding his role didn’t hinder him from performing when called upon, at least.
But even before that, Montero had spun himself a bit of a legend among the Cubs faithful by coining a hashtag that has stood through both of his seasons in Chicago and by serving as the team’s unabashed cheerleader. His series of tweets just after the Cubs dipped to being down three games to one in the World Series is reason alone to consider adding a flag to one of the foul poles with his jersey number on it.
#wearegood never doubt
— Miguel Montero (@miggymont26) October 30, 2016
All of this, and not a mention of his 2016 regular season yet. He packed so much into the weeks of the postseason that it’s easy to forget that he put together a surprisingly productive season in spite of making the least number of plate appearances since his 2010 season. It was surgery on his right meniscus that sidelined him then, and in 2016 it was a back that wouldn’t stop barking at him all season, not to mention splitting time with David Ross and later Willson Contreras.
Even with this, Montero’s 2.1 WARP is very respectable for a backup catcher, and his FRAA didn’t deviate much from last season. His defense is slipping, sure, but he still frames the ball extremely well and calls a very good game. His offensive numbers are on the decline and should not be expected to bounce back significantly, but he still has plenty of value on the field.
In all, Montero’s comments on November 4 should have little bearing over how his 2016 season is remembered, even if his best moments didn’t come until the final games of the season.
Looking Ahead:
His is an interesting future, because if not for the unfortunate interview—an amalgamation of bad timing and seemingly out of character venting—there would be little negative to say about Montero. It’s not that his comments were that egregious anyway, but perhaps on the day of the victory parade he shouldn’t have chosen to air his grievances.
Thankfully, Joe Maddon does have a reputation for soothing the egos of his players and keeping the heat low enough that the pot never boils over, so there’s little chance that this is an issue beyond the days and weeks immediately following. By the time Montero returns to the team in February, there will be plenty of bigger questions about his role for the Cubs going forward to erase any lingering feelings about the level of communication during the World Series.
Those bigger questions for Montero in 2017 will center around his health. Even with David Ross moving on, Montero will be sharing the catching duties with Contreras and potentially even Kyle Schwarber, so his 284 plate appearances in 2016 are probably a safe bar for next year as well. If the time off during the winter allows his back to heal, he can still be counted on to start once or twice a week while serving as an extremely valuable mentor to both Contreras and Schwarber. With a healthy back and reduced playing time to keep it that way, his productivity at the plate in 2017 could creep back up, but at 33 going into next season, expectations should be tempered.
An unspoken question thus far has been which of these backstops is best suited to handle the responsibility of being Jon Lester’s personal catcher, assuming that practice continues in Ross’s absence. Montero looks like an obvious fit because of his grizzled experience and game management abilities, but Contreras has the cannon to keep baserunners honest, so the fit might not be so obvious.
However Montero fills a role for the Cubs in his last year under contract for them, it is a safe bet that he’ll do it enthusiastically and with aplomb. He doesn’t know any other way.
Lead photo courtesy of Dennis Wierzbicki—USA Today Sports