Juan Montes

From BR Bullpen

Juan Diego Montes Incer

  • Bats Both, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.

BR minors page

Biographical Information[edit]

Juan Montes has played in the minors and for the Guatemalan national team and Nicaraguan national team.

Montes was signed by Baltimore Orioles scouts Fred Ferreira and Ronald Hurtarte in November 2013. He hit .216/.339/.284 for the DSL Orioles 2 in 2014, his pro debut, with 21 runs and 19 RBI in 44 games. He drew 22 walks but was only 1-for-6 in steal attempts. He fielded .967 as their primary left fielder.

Juan started in right for Guatemala in the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games, going 4 for 15 with a walk and a run. He had 9 putouts, one assist and one error. Only Manuel Hernández had more hits for Guatemala. He saw scant action for the 2015 DSL Orioles 1, going 9 for 48 with two triples, two homers and four walks. In 2016, he batted .234/.337/.316 for the DSL Orioles 1 and went 14-for-18 in steal tries. He was hit by 12 pitches, tying for 10th in the Dominican Summer League. In 2017, he produced at a .251/.402/.309 clip for the DSL Orioles and stole 25 bases while being caught just 7 times. He tied for 9th in the DSL in swipes and was third with 19 times plunked (behind only Reinaldo Ugueto and Fernando Kelli). In the 2017 Central American Games, he hit .222/.364/.222 with five runs for Guatemala as they took the Bronze Medal.

He batted .301/.389/.419 for the 2018 GCL Orioles and .258/.410/.323 for the 2019 Aberdeen Ironbirds to end his time in the O's chain. By the 2020 Americas Olympic Qualifier, he had moved to the Nicaraguan team. He was 0-for-3 with a HBP and a sac fly, driving in a run. He hit .405/.540/.685 with 66 runs in 43 games, stealing 42 bases in 46 tries, for the 2022 Roswell Invaders. He was 4th in the Pecos League in runs, tied for 3rd in doubles (17), tied for 7th in triples (3), led in steals and was among the leaders in all rate stats. He was named the Mountain Division's Hitter of the Year but lost MVP to Mark Traylor.

In the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American Qualifier, he hit .462/.667/.538 with nine runs, five walks and three steals in five games for the champion Nicaragua team, beating his old Guatemalan team; in the finale against Honduras, he scored four times as the team won easily. He led in OBP (.015 ahead of Isaac Benard), tied Benard for the most runs and was third in walks (one behind Benard and Fabián Vizcaíno). He did not make the All-Star outfield for the event as Sandy Bermúdez and Kevin Reyes were picked alongside Benard. He then became the first Guatemalan to play in a World Baseball Classic as he was with Nicaragua for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He batted .286/.333/.357; his four hits were second on the team, two behind Benjamín Alegría. He slumped to .203/.317/.261 for the Tri-City Valley Cats but went 11-for-11 in steals in 20 games. Again with Nicaragua, he started in center and was at .316/.381/.368, fielding .909 with one assist and three runs in six games. Only Rodolfo Bone and Jose Orozco had a better OBP for them.

Sources[edit]

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