Miguel Montero

For the Argentine tango singer, see Miguel Montero (tango singer).

Miguel Montero
Montero with the Arizona Diamondbacks
Chicago Cubs – No. 47
Catcher
Born: (1983-07-09) July 9, 1983 Caracas, Venezuela
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 6, 2006, for the Arizona Diamondbacks
MLB statistics (through May 29, 2016)
Batting average	.261
Hits	898
Home runs	114
Runs batted in	512
Teams
Arizona Diamondbacks (2006–2014) Chicago Cubs (2015–present)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star (2011, 2014)

Miguel Angel Montero (born July 9, 1983) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Baseball career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2001, Montero showed an ability to hit for average and power in the minors, hitting .307 with 43 home runs in 2005 and 2006.

He made his major league debut on September 6, 2006, against the Florida Marlins. In that same game, Aníbal Sánchez of the Marlins would throw a no-hitter against the Diamondbacks. Montero would play in a total of 6 games that year, recording a .250 batting average.

In 2007 and 2008, Montero platooned with Chris Snyder at the catching position for the D-Backs and batted a .224 average with 10 home runs in 2007 and batting .255 with 5 home runs in 2008.

Montero began the 2009 season slowly, hitting just three home runs and having just a .200 batting average through the first two months. However, when Snyder was put on the disabled list in June, Montero's playing time increased markedly and he finished the season with a career-high .294 batting average.

Montero caught Edwin Jackson's no-hitter on June 25, 2010. He would finish the season with a .266 batting average and 9 home runs.

In 2011, after hitting .272 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI, Montero was selected to his first All-Star Game. He also threw out 40% of baserunners trying to steal, a career high.

Montero was named to his second All-Star game in July 2014, replacing the injured Yadier Molina for the National League.

Chicago Cubs

Following the 2014 season, the Diamondbacks traded Montero to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguers Jeferson Mejia and Zack Godley. Before a hand injury in mid-July, Montero had appeared in 73 games for the Cubs with 217 at bats. He had 10 home runs and 32 runs-batted-in with a batting average of .230. On August 12, 2015, Montero hit a walk-off home run to give the Cubs a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the 10th inning to extend the Cubs winning streak to 6 games. On August 30, 2015, Montero caught Jake Arrieta's no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
• Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics