Jesus Montero will be remembered being a can’t-miss Yankees prospect who missed, a Venezuelan catcher who once was hyped as much as any prospect ever to coming up through their minor-league system.

Before 2025 rookie Jasson Dominguez was a teenaged Martian being compared to Mike Trout and Mickey Mantle , Yankees general manager Brian Cashman circa 2010 compared his No. 1 prospect to Mike Piazza in an interview with Bob Klapisch and told ESPN.com, “In terms of hitting ability, Montero can be a Manny Ramirez or a Miguel Cabrera . As a catcher, he’s got a cannon for an arm."

Montero also will be remembered for the Mariners backing out of a trade to acquire him when he was in Triple-A, a no deal that wound up sending All-Star left-hander Cliff Lee to the Rangers instead of the Yanke

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