Juan Montes (baseball)

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Montes and the second or maternal family name is Incer.
Juan Diego Montes
Free agent
Outfielder
Born: (1995-05-15) 15 May 1995 (age 30)
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Juan Diego Montes Incer (born 15 May 1995) is a Guatemalan-Nicaraguan professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He plays for the Nicaragua national baseball team. Montes represented Nicaragua at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games. He has also played with the Fieras del San Fernando of the Germán Pomares Championship.

Professional career

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Baltimore Orioles

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Montes was born on 15 May 1995 in Guatemala City. He began playing baseball at the age of four and later played college baseball at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. On 11 November 2013, Montes was signed by the Baltimore Orioles organization after a tryout in Guatemala. He was subsequently assigned to the Dominican Summer League Orioles, where he played four seasons, from 2014 to 2017; in 170 total appearances, Montes batted .231/.360/.312 with six home runs, 57 RBI, and 41 stolen bases.[1][2]

Montes spent the 2018 season with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Orioles, batting .301/.389/.419 with two home runs, 13 RBI, and two stolen bases over 29 appearances. In 2019, he was promoted to the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Low-A New York–Penn League, where he hit .258 with four RBI and one stolen bases across 14 games. On 24 July 2019, Montes was released by the Orioles organization.[3]

Roswell Invaders

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In 2020, Montes debuted in the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League with the Tren del Norte, winning the Rookie of the Year award.[4] After two years of playing primarily in winter leagues, Montes signed with the Roswell Invaders of the independent Pecos League for the 2022 season. In 43 appearances for Roswell, he slashed .405/.540/.685 with eight home runs, 47 RBI, and a league-leading 42 stolen bases. Following the season, Montes was named the Mountain Division Hitter of the Year.[5][6] The Invaders went on to win the Pecos League championship, defeating the Tucson Saguaros in three games.[7]

Tri-City ValleyCats

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On 2 March 2023, Montes signed with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Frontier League.[8] In 20 appearances for the ValleyCats, he batted .203/.317/.261 with one home run, seven RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Montes was released by Tri-City on 16 June.[9]

International career

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Since Montes' mother is Nicaraguan, he is eligible to play with the Nicaragua national baseball team.[10] He made his debut for the Nicaraguan national team at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games qualifiers, where the team won all five of its games and secured a spot in the tournament. He was selected to represent Nicaragua at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he appeared in four games, recording four hits and one double in 14 at-bats.[11] Later that year, he was part of the Nicaraguan roster for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games held in San Salvador.

In February 2025, Montes was chosen to represent Nicaragua at the 2026 World Baseball Classic qualification.[12] He batted .385, with 5 hits in 13 at-bats across Nicaragua's three victories.[13]

Career statistics

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International

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Team Year G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SB AVG
Nicaragua 2023 15 46 12 16 3 0 0 4 8 3 .348
2025 3 13 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 .385
Total 18 59 15 21 3 0 0 4 8 5 .356

References

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  1. ^ Felipe, Óscar (12 November 2013). "Montes asume un gran reto al firmar con Baltimore". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  2. ^ Klopfenstein, Maura (14 June 2023). "'Baseball was my dream, and Purdue Global moved me forward.'". The Persistent Pursuit. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  3. ^ "Juan Montes Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  4. ^ García, Rodrigo (19 January 2021). "Juan Diego Montes: "Es emocionante jugar en el mejor nivel que tiene Nicaragua"". ESPN.co.cr (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Juan Montes of the Roswell Invaders named Mountain Division Hitter of the Year". roswellinvaders.com. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  6. ^ "Juan Montes named Mountain Division Hitter of the Year". rdrnews.com. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  7. ^ "Invaders top Saguaros in winner-take-all game, capture Pecos League title". tucson.com. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  8. ^ "ValleyCats Sign WBC Participant OF Juan Diego Montes". Tri-City Valleycats. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  9. ^ "2023 Transactions". frontierleague.com. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  10. ^ Gutiérrez, Perla (14 March 2023). "Juan Diego Montes: bigote y talento se han viralizado en redes sociales". Vos TV (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  11. ^ "2023 Nicaragua Roster & Staff". MLB.com. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Nicaragua Announces Roster for 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers". World Baseball Network. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  13. ^ "Stats - Nicaragua". MLB.com. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
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