To understand Young’s early success this season – he’d clubbed six
homers through the first month and was tied at the time for second
in the organization with Tyler O’Neill and Victor Roache – one must
go back to 2017 and his first full year as a pro.
With help from Peoria manager Chris Swauger and former Chiefs
batting coach Donnie Ecker, Young made a swing-plane adjustment
driven by the addition of a leg kick. The net effect: instant power.
“When I got to Peoria, I was struggling; and at State College (to
close 2016), I had not hit for a ton of power, either,” Young recalls.
“Ecker was into analytics and launch angle. I started working with
him, and ‘Swaug’ threw a lot to me as I incorporated this leg kick and
started this motion with my body before my swing. That’s when I
really began to click. My launch angle almost doubled.”
The result: a ticket to the midseason Midwest League All-Star
Game and a home run derby invitation (which he had to decline due
to his promotion to high-A Palm Beach).
By season’s end, he was third in the system in home runs (17) and
sixth in RBIs (59). In each of his two seasons, he’s been among the
top 10 in triples – a reminder that Young has a multidimensional
game. Two months into the 2018 schedule, he was tied for the Palm
Beach team lead in extra-base hits despite not homering in May. He
also led the club in walks.
It’s a promising resume for the 37th-round draft pick (2016) who
hails from one of the coldest states in the U.S. (North Dakota).
“I didn’t get any Division I offers coming out of high school, so you
have to go south in this world of baseball,” says Young, who wound up
at junior college in Kansas and finished with two years at Indiana State.Just as the Cardinals found success with later-round draft picks
such as Matt Carpenter, Trevor Rosenthal and Albert Pujols,
they’ve shown similar instinct in the international market. Lower-
bonus signees who developed into legitimate big-league prospects
included Sandy Alcantara, Magneuris Sierra and Oscar Taveras.
Montero, who signed for $300,000 in 2014, could be the next
in line. Playing his first two seasons in the Dominican Summer
League, he flashed his ability to drive the ball, racking up 30 extra-
base hits and 56 RBIs in a combined 118 games.
Then, after a transition stateside, he put together an all-star
campaign for the 2017 Gulf Coast League Cardinals. He tied for
the league lead in extra-base hits and ranked third in RBIs.
The Dominican Republic native added 20 pounds to his frame
and earned an aggressive promotion this spring, joining Peoria at
age 19. Named the starting third baseman and clean-up hitter, he
has responded by leading the Midwest League club in RBIs while
logging an OPS of .845, and earning a midseason all-star berth.
“Montero consistently takes good at-bats, regardless of the
situation,” Peoria manager Chris Swauger says. “The pitcher, count,
and runners on base do not seem to have any effect on him.”
The young prospect’s impressive makeup and attitude have been
noted. Swauger describes a player mature beyond his years.
“Outside of his very apparent natural talent, he pays attention
to details, listens well and is very receptive to coaching,” Swauger
says. “Most important, he is one of the best young players I
have ever had at turning any failure or adversity into a learning
experience.”Brian Walton operates TheCardinalNation.com, where he and his team of locally-based writers have provided daily coverage of the Cardinals’
minor league system for more than a decade.106 CARDINALS MAGAZINE
ANDY YOUNG ELEHURIS MONTERO
2B 3B
6-FOOT-2 205 POUNDS
BATS AND THROWS RIGHT6-FOOT-3 215 POUNDS
BATS AND THROWS RIGHTBUSING THE MINORSPalm Beach High-A Peoria Single-A