Former Seattle Mariners catcher/first baseman Jesús Montero is hospitalized in his home country of Venezuela following a serious motorcycle accident, according to multiple reports coming out of the country.
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Venezuelan media reported Monday Montero was in critical condition at a hospital in Valencia. Venezuelan reporter Tony Rodríguez said Montero was intubated in the hospital’s trauma shock unit.
A GoFundMe page set up to help with Montero’s medical expenses said the former big leaguer has multiple leg fractures, several broken ribs and severely compromised lungs and organs. It also stated the 35-year-old Montero is in a medically induced coma and will need to undergo kidney dialysis. The page had raised over $5,000 by Tuesday afternoon.
Montero was a top prospect when the Mariners acquired him alongside right-hander Héctor Noesí in a January 2012 trade with the New York Yankees for right-handers Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. Montero and Pineda were the headliners of the deal.
Montero, who had been New York’s top prospect, was coming off an impressive brief stint in the majors in 2011. The right-handed-hitting catcher slashed .328/.406/.590 with four doubles and four homers in 18 games.
He had a solid first season with the Mariners as a 22 year old in 2012, posting a .260/.298/.386 slash line with 20 doubles and 15 homers in 135 games. But the rest of Montero’s time in Seattle was tumultuous.
He was sent down to Triple-A early in 2013 to make the move from catcher to first base. That process was interrupted by a knee injury, and Montero was later suspended 50 games for violating MLB’s drug program.
Montero then showed up to spring training well overweight in 2014, which eventually led to an infamous ice cream sandwich altercation between Montero and a team scout while he was on a rehab assignment in Single-A in August. Montero was shut down for the season after the incident.
Montero remained in Seattle’s organization through 2015, making 35 appearances in the big leagues that season. He was designated for assignment before the start of the 2016 campaign and never appeared in another game in the majors.
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