Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jordan Montgomery is one of the first players in recent memory to miss games because of his agent. Months after helping the Texas Rangers defeat Arizona in the World Series, Montgomery was stuck in free-agency limbo until he finally landed a one-year deal with the NL champions on March 26th.
As a result, “Monty” needed extra time to get up to speed, setting his target season debut date for April 19th. It appears that plan is coming to fruition, via USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The veteran hurler was one of many clients of super agent Scott Boras that couldn’t find a new contract until very late in the offseason. Will Montgomery be able to get back to his normal self and help the Diamondbacks get out of their early-season funk?
Jordan Montgomery will significantly boost Diamondbacks rotation
Montgomery was projected to land a nine-figure deal this past offseason, but Boras couldn’t land him the big payday. “Gumby” had to settle for a one-year deal worth $25 million guaranteed, with a vesting option for next year that could also be worth up to the same amount.
ESPN Baseball insider Kiley McDaniel estimated that Montgomery would land a five-year, $106 million deal, via the Arizona Republic. After Boras was unable to get that for him, the former New York Yankees star ditched the agent for Wasserman’s Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock.
As a result, Arizona got good value for the southpaw. Over the last three seasons, he’s posted a 3.48 ERA, a 1.184 WHIP and just 2.3 walks per nine innings. He’s also been lights out in October, sporting a 2.67 playoff ERA during that span. Of course, this includes last year, when he helped the Rangers win their first ring.
Arizona could use that level of productivity, as it went into Sunday sitting third in the NL West with a 7-8 record. The club ranks 15th in the league so far with a 4.04 team ERA and 1.30 WHIP, and 23rd with a .259 opponent batting average.
It may still take awhile for Montgomery to get back to his normal self, though. The 31-year-old struggled in his final minor league tune-up start, allowing seven runs in 3 2/3 innings with Triple-A Reno. He did fan seven hitters, but also allowed nine hits. Furthermore, his velocity is still lower than normal, via Sports Illustrated’s Michael McDermott.
“The velocity continued to be down two ticks from his 2023 velocity, clocking in at 91.3 MPH on his sinker vs. 93.3 last season,” McDermott said. “That’s in line with the velocity readings from his previous start.”
That’s a significant difference, especially for a pitcher who’s already not known for throwing particularly fast. However, he should be able to get back to his regular flow as the season wears on.
It remains to be seen who Jordan Montgomery will replace in Arizona’s rotation. It could be left-hander Tommy Henry, who’s 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA thus far. Regardless, the Diamondbacks need “Monty’s” help, as fellow starters Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson each have ERA’s over 5.00 as well.
Don’t expect Montgomery to be immediately lights-out against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. However, these early-season games are crucial for getting back up to speed and being at full-strength for the stretch run.
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