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Here, review this video highlight from last night, the double that Montero smoked into the LF corner, on which Seager scored from 1B.  Watch the movement of the catcher's glove while the pitch is in flight.  I mean, is that funny or what?  Watch the glove!

After you watch the glove a few times, then put your eyes into the catcher's, and visualize the pitch coming in, WAY wild, into the hitter, enough to hit him maybe.  It's like a wild pitch, inside.  Then visualize what happens to the ball.

On a pitch that ticks the inside of the plate, the challenge is to keep the ball a foot fair, 12" fair, if you can.  Most can't.   Watch the video again.  Is the ball six inches fair?  

Consider the catcher again.

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=== Doesn't Feel Like the First Time, Dept. ===

A game or two before, Montero blasted a convincing home run on a pitch that, as Sullivan pointed out, was way inside off the plate.  This home run was also not fighting the foul pole for its bases.  This home run was wayyyyy over into the left-center bleachers.

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And a game or two before that, a reliever (who keeps track?) threw a 98 MPH fastball inside, off the plate, and Montero smoked it into RIGHT field for a single.  You remember the one?  The jam pitch from a Freddy Krueger nightmare, and Montero effortlessly lined it into right field.

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=== The Secret ===

Montero doesn't stride much, doesn't worry about lower-body transfer.  He rocks those brawny arms, getting his elbow real high .... and then as the pitch comes in, he simply pulls his hands through outside or inside as he wishes.  It's hilarious!

Take the pitch above, the photo at the top of the page.  Look at where Montero's elbow is.  The big thing is, Montero can hinge the bat when he does this.  It takes immense strength; he's not applying centrifugal leverage because his arms aren't making an arc.  He sees the jam pitch coming in, the bat's coming forward... WHOOP!  WAY INSIDE, he tucks the hands against the tummy and uses pure forearm power to hit the ball over the fence.

Edgar was good with alligator arms.  Not this good.

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Jam pitches aren't Montero's specialty.  He's a guy who takes outside pitches over the RF fence.

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=== Smeels Like (Nineteen Nine-)Teen Spirit "I Know I Know A Dirty Word" Dept. ===

Montero has played 57 games in the major leagues, 225 plate appearances.  He's hitting .282/.329/.476, for a 123 OPS+.  In his first trip around the league.  Per 162 games, he has so far paced for 28 homers and had 97 RBI.

Edgar's legs cost him some offensive numbers.  Montero's will cost him more; here's a 22-year-old and already he runs like Ernie Lombardi.  I'll bet you my blog that Prince Fielder could beat Montero in a footrace, and easily.  Montero crushes hard-hit doubles off the fence that get back to the OF's quicker than Edgar's did, and Montero takes a wide turn at 1B and holds at first.

As you know, slow RH hitters don't lead the league in batting average; there are no infield hits in Montero's future at all.  (Whoop, check Edgar's black ink totals...)

Montero's legs will probably cost him 25-50 points of slugging average but it won't cost the runners on base in front of him.  Wouldn't it be nice if there were a stat for that -- hits that affect runners as normal, but which don't show up in a batter's bases gained?  Oh, wait:  there's the RBI.

One of these days Jesus Montero is going to hit .331 with 37 homers and 141 RBI as a catcher, but his WAR will show up as 3.8, and people will recommend against a big contract.

That's the stat on which to judge Jesus Montero, gentlemen:  RBI.  He's going to get you 100, 120 of them a year.  He's going to change the scoreboard, and he is going to do it on pitchers' pitches.

Be Afraid,

Dr D