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2008 Montero was another in the club's cadre of rookie disappointments. His power was pure park fiction, and his value as a platoon player isn't much when he's only reaching base against right-handers at a .291 clip. Montero also struggled to contain the running game, and, since he's not the most polished receiver around, every weakness behind the plate gets magnified. If he's only the new Greg Myers, that's valuable, but his projection should help his believers keep their faith. 2007 Montero went hitless in his big league debut, but so did the rest of the D`backs against Anibal Sanchez that night. By then Montero had already proven that his big year in Lancaster in 2005 wasn`t just a park illusion. More importantly, Montero has improved his defense to the point that it`s no longer a reason to keep him out of the lineup. His arm isn`t so great that he`ll win between-innings accuracy contests, but it`s not Piazza-poor, either. He probably won`t get much better than this, but with Johnny Estrada now in Milwaukee, he and Chris Snyder will form a productive, low-cost catching tandem for a few years. 2006 Montero broke out in 2005, though the usual organization-wide caveats apply, as he hit .404/.445/.718 at home and "just" .307/.371/.553 on the road. But even with the Lancaster boost, his High-A season was pretty impressive, resulting in a Cal League batting title. He had the usual/expected slump after being promoted to Double-A, so the permanence of his offensive gains are in doubt. He improved his defense in 2005, to the point where he was no longer a liability behind the plate. With neither Chris Snyder nor Koyie Hill doing much to inspire confidence, he could be on the organization`s radar sooner than you think. Like, now.
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