Catcher-turned-1B Jesus Montero responded to a knee injury, a PED suspension and very little production to speak of in 2013 by turning up for Mariners camp 40 pounds overweight. Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik, who traded for Montero as part of the Michael Pineda swap with the Yankees, tells the Seattle Times’ Ryan Dvish, ““He’s got a ton to prove. It’s all on him.”
“I’m not counting on him,” Zduriencik said. “I’m not expecting anything. Whatever he does, he’s got to get our attention — that’s how I’m looking at it. We haven’t discarded him at all. But he’s got to prove it to us. We’ve got players here that want to be big-league players and want to be big-league players for a long time. In his case, he’s still got that to prove yet. And I don’t think he’s done that. He hasn’t taken that next step where he’s got everyone’s attention. He can, because the ability is there to do that.”
And if not?
“In the end, it is Jesus’ life,” Zduriencik said. “It’s Jesus who has to make a call on this. We’ll be there to assist any of these players, him included. But he will not be given anything. It’s an uphill climb for him.
“I feel comfortable with my weight,” Montero said. “But they want me to lose some weight. Whatever they want, I’m here for the opportunity.”