The baseball world received sad news this Sunday, October 19: the death of Venezuelan Jesus Montero, former prospect for the New York Yankees and a player who played for the Seattle Mariners. He was 35 years old. The New York club confirmed the news in an official statement, lamenting the loss of someone who was once considered one of baseball's most promising prospects. According to local media reports, Montero suffered a motorcycle accident in early October and remained hospitalized in Valencia, Carabobo state, with serious internal injuries. Despite medical efforts, he did not recover. Montero was ranked by MLB Pipeline in 2011 as the Yankees' number 1 prospect and the ninth best in the entire Major League system. That year, at just 21 years old, he recorded an .814 OPS at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, which earned him a promotion to the major league team in September. His impact was immediate: he hit .328/.406/.590 at the close of the season, proving his potential as one of the most promising bats in the organization.

From great promise to an early goodbye

However, Montero's future took an unexpected turn when the Yankees finalized a trade with the Seattle Mariners before the start of the 2012 season. In that deal, New York sent Dominican catcher and pitcher Hector Noesi in exchange for Venezuelan Jose Campos and Dominican Michael Pineda.

During his first full season in Seattle, Montero hit 15 home runs and showed glimpses of the talent that had made him stand out. However, injuries and a suspension for the use of prohibited substances limited its projection. He only appeared in 73 more games in the Major Leagues and ended his MLB career in 2015.

Afterward, he had brief stints with the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, but never returned to the top level. In Venezuela, he played for the Navegantes del Magallanes, Cardenales de Lara, and Aguilas del Zulia, in addition to playing for the Sultanes de Monterrey in Mexico.