Jesús Montero, a former top Yankees prospect and five-year MLB veteran, has died at 35 following a motorcycle accident.
A GoFundMe created to help cover his medical expenses revealed that Montero had been involved in the crash earlier this month in Venezuela, suffering severe injuries that left him in an induced coma. His death was announced Sunday by both the Yankees and a team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
Montero emerged as one of the Yankees’ brightest young talents in the late 2000s, debuting in 2011 after being ranked the organization’s No. 1 prospect. Known for his power at the plate, he hit 21 home runs with an .870 OPS in 123 Triple-A games the year before reaching the majors.
Jesús Montero, a former catcher and once the Yankees’ top prospect, has died at 35.
Jesús Montero appeared with the Yankees during the 2011 playoffs, but his time in New York was brief — he played only 18 major league games before being traded to the Mariners in exchange for pitcher Michael Pineda.
Montero went on to spend four seasons with Seattle but never reached the star potential once projected for him. Over 226 career major league games, he batted .253 with a .693 OPS. His final MLB appearance came in 2015.
