Montero On MLB Networks Top Prospect List

MLB Network reveiled their top 50 prospect countdown last night. The whole list can be located here. Montero, came in at number 19 on the list.

Bryan Hoch wrote an article about Montero for MLB.com and down below are some quotes about Montero from Yanks senior VP of baseball operations from Mark Newman:

"Offensively, he's an outstanding player," Yankees senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman said recently. "He can flat hit, and he can hit with power. He hits the ball to all fields. It's a special hitter, one of the best we've had since I've been here.

"We've had guys do what Derek [Jeter] did as a young player, but beyond him, Montero is right at the top of the list. He's got ground to cover, though. Obviously not many of the chapters have been written in his story, but if he keeps working at it and keeps his head on straight, I think he will do all that stuff. He's got a chance to be an awfully good player."

"He came a long way this year defensively in the second half, before he hurt his finger," Newman said. "He threw out a higher percentage of runners in Double-A than A-ball, and of course a lot of that depends on the pitching staff you have. But he changed his throwing footwork a little bit and it seems to have really helped him defensively.

"He was a 19-year-old kid playing what I think is the most demanding position on the field defensively, and he's got improvements he's got to make. But his hands are good and he's got arm strength. He's a big guy, so he's going to always have to work at lower-body flexibility and general conditioning, but he's been doing a good job of that."

Patrick Teale, who covers the Yankees for Pinstripes Plus magazine, added this:

"He can mash," said Patrick Teale. "This guy could be [Albert] Pujols-like, he could be [Mike] Piazza-like. He's got that kind of bat. He can hit for average, he can hit for power, he can hit any pitch and he's got a good approach at the plate. He doesn't really walk a ton yet, but I wouldn't let the small amount of walks disguise the fact that he's a pretty patient hitter, very selective. He's a complete hitter."

So what if he can't use the glove too well? The Yanks should find a way to have him in their lineup.