By Bruce Levine–
(CBS) — The line was drawn in the sand last fall.
Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Montero was the first to speak out about his lack of playing time in 2016. The veteran let people know he was upset he was not in the lineup more often during the run to the world title.
The handwriting was on the wall. With a three-year, $42 million deal left on the table when he was acquired by Chicago, money and leadership were going to be areas of concern with the prideful Montero after he came up lame.
The general blowback from the discord between Montero and manager Joe Maddon needed to be addressed the first week of spring training. The two men, along with coach Henry Blanco, had dinner at a nice Scottsdale, Ariz. restaurant to smooth over their differences. During that discussion, Maddon told the catcher he was no longer the No. 1 receiver on the team. Willson Contreras was crowned the new man behind the plate.
A meeting of the minds ended in an agreement. Montero would accept his new role as backup catcher and mentor to the young Chicago players and pitchers. Maddon would lean on the catcher for leadership and direction a veteran player can offer in a limited role.
With the departure of the iconic David Ross, leadership and solid play on the field twice a week was expected from the 33-year-old Venezuelan catcher. Getting close to 800 at bats, Montero contributed 27 home runs and 94 RBI over two and a half seasons. This was much less than was expected from the Cubs when they brought the catcher aboard.
The fact that Montero’s throwing had eroded to the point of embarrassment, in my opinion, led to him speaking out about the starting pitchers’ failure to hold runners on base. Montero is a smart guy and he had to know this was going to end his tenure with the all-for-one, one-for-all Chicago Cubs.
This outcome was certainly not what the organization’s top brass expected when they traded for the veteran in December of 2014.The former All-Star’s power numbers went down and the throwing skills went south as well. Most of this was due to two bulging discs in his back. One-hop throws were the common thread opponents watched Montero struggle with in video scouting sessions before his starts behind the plate.
When Montero said pitchers were not holding runners on base, he was right. The missing element was that he could not throw 90 feet on a line. Montero was 5-86 in catching would-be base stealers the last two seasons. Teams ran because they knew the perfect storm of not holding runners by the pitchers and a poor-throwing catcher could not stop them.
When you walk six guys as Arrieta did on Tuesday evening, the price you pay is a steep one. In the case of Montero, he knew his time as a top-flight receiver was nearing an end.
Montero should always be remembered as a hero in the Cubs’ run for their first World Series title in 108 seasons. His NLCS Grand Slam was a key component to winning the pennant. His base hit in Game 7 of the series delivered the eighth and deciding run in the tenth inning of the 8-7 clincher.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
from CBS Chicago http://ift.tt/2sT3iKY
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