Ex-Mariners catcher Jesús Montero reportedly involved in motorcycle accident

Tim Booth, The Seattle Times on Oct 7, 2025

Published in Baseball

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One-time top Mariners prospect Jesús Montero is in a Venezuela hospital after being involved in a serious motorcycle accident, according to reports out of the country.

Venezuelan media reported that Montero was riding his motorcycle when he was hit by a pickup truck sometime last weekend. Details emerging from the country are limited, but reports indicate Montero’s situation is serious and he’s currently in a hospital near Valencia, Venezuela.

Montero will turn 36 in late November. He broke into the majors at age 21 late in the 2011 season with the New York Yankees.

Montero spent parts of four seasons with the Mariners after coming up through the minors as one of the top prospects in the Yankees organization. Montero was part of the trade that sent Michael Pineda and Jose Campos to the Yankees in exchange for Héctor Noesí and the right-handed hitting Montero.

His first season with the Mariners as a 22-year-old showed promise as he batted .260 with 20 doubles, 15 home runs and 62 RBIs in 135 games split between designated hitter and catcher.

But that was the clear high point of his career with the Mariners. A season later it became clear that Montero couldn’t handle catching duties and was replaced by Mike Zunino. Montero was sent to Triple-A Tacoma to learn to play first base, suffered a knee injury and was suspended 50 games for violating baseball’s drug program.

The low point came during the 2014 season when on a rehab assignment with Single-A Everett, Montero got into an altercation with a scout in the stands at a game in Boise, Idaho. The scout — cross-checker Butch Baccala — had an ice cream sandwich ordered and delivered to the dugout after in a previous inning yelling from the stands for Montero to hustle off the field. The two had a confrontation in the stands. Montero was suspended for the rest of the season; Baccala’s contract was not renewed.

Montero returned in better shape the following season but appeared in just 38 games in that 2015 season. He was designated for assignment by the M’s before the start of the 2016 season and never played in the majors again.