Former MLB player Jesús Montero, who was once referred to by New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman as “the best player I’ve traded,” died Sunday from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident earlier this month. He was 35.
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League reported Montero’s passing on social media, referring to the power-hitting catcher, designated hitter and first baseman as someone with “a powerful bat, an unforgettable presence, a heart that loved this game.”
“Thank you for every at-bat, every home run, every day you proudly defended our colors,” the league wrote in Spanish on Instagram. “Rest in peace, Jesús. Your legacy lives on in every fan who ever celebrated with you.”
In addition to six seasons with the Venezuelan league, Montero played five major league seasons, one with the Yankees and four with the Seattle Mariners. Both teams, as well as MLB, mourned Montero with posts on X.
Born in Guacara, Venezuela, Montero was 16 when he was signed by the Yankees as an international free agent in 2006. He worked his way through the minor leagues, twice appearing in the All-Star Futures game, and made his MLB debut late in the 2011 season. In 61 at-bats over 18 games that September, Montero had a batting average of .328 and OPS of .996 with four home runs and 12 RBIs.
That offseason, Montero was traded to Seattle as part of a blockbuster package deal that sent pitcher Michael Pineda to New York.
“He may very well be the best player I’ve traded,” Cashman told reporters at the time. “He’s that good. He’s a middle-of-the-lineup type bat.”
Montero played 208 games for the Mariners, hitting 24 home runs with 92 RBIs. His time with the organization was marred by struggles with his weight and a 50-game performance-enhancing drug ban in 2013, as he was among several players disciplined by MLB for their relationship to Biogenesis of America.
In 2016, Montero played in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system and received another 50-game suspension following the season after testing positive for banned stimulant dimethylbutylamine. He played part of the 2017 season in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system, then spent several more years playing baseball in Mexico and Venezuela before retiring in 2021.
Montero reportedly crashed his motorcycle into a truck Oct. 4 and had been hospitalized in critical condition since then. Authorities said he was unable to recover from multiple injuries.
Taneth Gimenez — Montero’s ex-wife and mother of their two children, Loren and Jesús — has posted several tributes to her former husband on her Instagram Story since his passing.
“May the Lord receive you in your glory,” she wrote in Spanish on one post. “Thank you for giving me the greatest gift I have, my children.”
She added in another, also in Spanish: “I keep the good times tattooed on my soul.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.