Jesus Montero shocked the baseball world last weekend after reports of his death. The former New York Yankees prospect died on Sunday after a motorcycle accident on October 4 in his native Venezuela. He had been in a coma before his death, authorities revealed. The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP) issued a message about the player’s death.
“Today, Venezuelan baseball is in mourning. Jesus Montero, a former New York Yankees prospect with five years of Major League Baseball experience and six seasons in the LVBP with Navegantes del Magallanes, Cardenales de Lara and Aguilas del Zulia, died in Valencia,” the statement said. “Thank you for every at-bat, for every home run, for every day you proudly defended our colors,” added the LVBP.
Jesus Montero’s beginnings with the Yankees and his path through the MLB
Montero died in a hospital in Valencia, west of Caracas, as a result of injuries he suffered in a road accident on October 5. In 2006, the Yankees made Montero one of their top targets in the international market for 16-year-old prospects, giving him a $1.6 million bonus. He made his debut with New York in October 2011, but was soon traded to the Mariners
The Yankees are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jesus Montero
He appeared in four seasons with Seattle, before being acquired by Toronto from the unprotected list in March 2016. Montero never played in the major leagues with either Seattle or the Baltimore Orioles, his last organization in the United States. He batted .253 with 28 home runs and 104 RBIs in 806 at-bats in MLB; he last played in the Venezuelan league in the 2020-21 season with Zulia.
Internal injuries suffered by Jesus Montero
The brutal accident left the former Yankee with a punctured lung, six broken ribs and multiple fractures to his femur, tibia and fibula, as well as hip and knee injuries, El Nacional reported. Montero was rushed to Dr. Enrique Tejera Hospital, where he suffered a cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated. The former player was put into a coma and also underwent dialysis due to the extent of the damage to his renal system.
Montero had been listed in “critical” condition before authorities announced his death. The Yankees paid their respects to the man whom general manager Brian Cashman once dubbed “the best player I’ve ever traded.” “The Yankees are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jesus Montero. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and loved ones,” they wrote on X.
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