Rafael Montero, a former pitcher for the New York Mets, isn’t performing well for the second year in a row. Just a few weeks after being a huge success for the Houston Astros in their 2022 championship season, he inked a big three-year $34.5 contract for himself. Even though he isn’t the team’s closer, he has one of the highest contracts for a bullpen pitcher, making $11.5 million a season.
In 68.1 innings pitched, Montero has a 2.37 ERA for Houston in 2022. Fantastic in the World Series as well, they foolishly accepted the long-held belief held by Mets supporters that he was a superior pitching prospect to Jacob deGrom.
The Astros got a taste of bad free agency with former Mets pitcher Rafael Montero
This year has been worse than last even with the ERA slightly down. At 3-3 with a 5.08 ERA last year, Montero was at least striking batters out. This year he has fanned just 23 in 38.1 innings of work. His 4.70 ERA is ugly. His 6.40 FIP suggests luck has been on his side.
Montero is one of many failed starters who successfully reinvented themselves as bullpen weapons. His time with the Mets included 30 starts and another 28 relief appearances from 2014-2017. Poor health and even poorer performances on the field had them releasing the once-promising pitcher after the 2018 season.
Montero immediately turned things around in 2019 when he had a strong 29 innings in relief for the Texas Rangers. A 2.48 ERA and strikeout rate of 10.6 per 9 while walking just 1.6 per, he was fast-tracking his way toward becoming one of the better relievers in baseball.
He was more average in the shortened 2020 season and terrible for the Seattle Mariners to start the 2021 campaign. Finishing off the year with Houston by tossing 6 scoreless, he apparently had just the 2022 season left in the tank.
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