Coco Montes
Colorado Rockies
Second baseman
Born: (1996-10-07) October 7, 1996
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 11, 2023, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.184
Home runs1
Runs batted in3
Teams

Robert Patrick "Coco" Montes (born October 7, 1996) is an American professional baseball infielder in the Colorado Rockies organization. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2023.

Career

Montes was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 35th round, with the 1,064th overall selection, of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft out of Coral Gables High School.[1] He did not sign, and attended the University of South Florida.[2][3] He was the drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 15th round, with the 456th overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft and signed.[4][5]

Montes made his professional debut in 2018 with the rookie–level Grand Junction Rockies.[6] He was named the Pioneer League MVP after hitting .333/.413/.513 with 8 home runs and 42 RBI in 69 contests.[7] Montes spent 2019 with the Single–A Asheville Tourists, playing in 132 games and hitting .258/.305/.406 while setting career–highs in home runs (13) and RBI (89).[8] Montes did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

In 2021, Montes spent the season with the Double–A Hartford Yard Goats, playing in 116 games and slashing .258/.317/.448 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI.[10][11] He was assigned to Double–A Hartford to begin the 2022 season, and was quickly promoted to the Triple–A Albuquerque Isotopes. In 111 games for Albuquerque, he batted .274/.359/.500 with 20 home runs, 77 RBI, and 13 stolen bases.[12] Montes began the 2023 season with Triple–A Albuquerque, where he played in 59 games and hit .321/.401/.560 with 12 home runs, 47 RBI, and 4 stolen bases.[13]

On June 11, 2023, the Rockies selected Montes to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time.[14] He made his debut that day as the starting second baseman against the San Diego Padres, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.[15] The two-run home run came off of Blake Snell in the eighth inning to tie the game, and led to an eventual 5–4 victory.[16] In 18 games for Colorado, he hit .184/.244/.316 with 1 home run and 3 RBI. On September 5, Montes was designated for assignment following the promotion of Cole Tucker.[17] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Albuquerque on September 7.[18]

Personal life

Montes garnered the nickname 'Coco' after he was born with a full head of hair that his mother shaved off. His grandfather then called him cocoliso, which loosely translates to coconut, and is slang for a bald person.[19] In Cuba, Montes's great-grandfather, Manuel Ramírez, had been a lawyer representing American businesses. By August 1960, Ramírez arrived in Miami, Florida. He subsequently moved to Michigan, then settled in Hartford, Connecticut, and taught Spanish at Avon Old Farms. The family resettled in Miami in the 1970s.[11]

Montes grew up idolizing Nomar Garciaparra of the Boston Red Sox.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Knight, Joey (June 10, 2015). "Nationals draft USF closer Tommy Peterson (UPDATED)". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Coco Montes – 2018 Baseball Roster". gousfbulls.com. June 11, 2023.
  3. ↑ "2015 Baseball Draft". baseball-almanac.com. June 11, 2023.
  4. ↑ Newman, Kyle (June 6, 2018). "Rockies' picks on the final day of the 2018 MLB Draft". Denver Post. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ Knight, Joey (July 9, 2018). "USF's Coco Montes continues hitting tear at pro level". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Grand Junction's Montes busts loose again". milb.com. June 11, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Montes leads Pioneer League All-Stars". milb.com. June 11, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Coco Montes Stats & Scouting Report". baseballamerica.com. June 11, 2023.
  9. ↑ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Isotope Montes' offseason work pays dividends at the plate". Albuquerque Journal. June 11, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Yard Goats' star Coco Montes is chasing his dreams in Hartford — the same place his family rebuilt their lives after fleeing Cuba". courant.com. June 11, 2023.
  12. ↑ "You should know more about Coco Montes". purplerow.com. June 11, 2023.
  13. ↑ "The time is right for Coco Montes to join the Rockies". purplerow.com. June 11, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon goes on 10-day IL with fracture". CBS News Colorado. June 11, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  15. ↑ Randhawa, Manny (June 11, 2023). "Longest walk-off HR of Statcast era puts Rox back in win column". MLB.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  16. ↑ "McMahon, Jones homers in 9th around rain delay lift Rockies over Padres 5-4". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 11, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Rockies' Coco Montes: Designated for assignment". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Rockies' Coco Montes: Outrighted to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Isotopes are in love with the Coco". krqe.com. June 11, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Do-it-all Montes reaching a new level as Isotope hitter". abqjournal.com. June 11, 2023.
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