Michael Stanton vs. Jesus Montero vs. Jason Heyward

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Jesus Montero doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Jason Heyward or Mike Stanton.

Heyward and Stanton are top 2 prospects. Montero MIGHT be top 20 in MLB.

This is absurd. Montero might have been the best hitter in MiLB last year.

I'd go Heyward, Montero, with Stanton well behind. Stanton's contact rates are terrible. It's incredibly rare to see a guy strike out that much in the minors and become an impact hitter in the majors. Other than Ryan Howard, no one has done it. Keep in mind I'm including guys like Adam Dunn and Mark Reynolds. Those guys struck out far less often in the minors than Stanton does.

Regarding Montero's future position, far too much is being made out of it. No, he'll never be a good defensive catcher. In fact, he'll never be an average defensive catcher. He'll probably be a bad defensive catcher, but his bat draws comparisons to Miguel Cabrera and Albert Belle. Mike Piazza was a terrible catcher, and I've read scouts who say that Montero is much more athletic than Piazza and should be, at the very least, as good a fielder. If Montero's bat is truly an elite one, he'll be an incredibly valuable player behind the plate.

[Hopper15]

Going with Stanton. Guess I'm a sucker for the big power bat.

[avrpatsfan]

No way Montero or Stanton is better than Heyward. Heyward such a beast, a 5 tool player.

[avrpatsfan]

Going with Stanton. Guess I'm a sucker for the big power bat.

I guess you are. Stanton is a beast on the longball but isn't a very good contact hitter.

[mgkibbles]

Heyward has a complete game, unlike both Stanton and Montero.

[jmtapia]

This is absurd. Montero might have been the best hitter in MiLB last year.

I'd go Heyward, Montero, with Stanton well behind. Stanton's contact rates are terrible. It's incredibly rare to see a guy strike out that much in the minors and become an impact hitter in the majors. Other than Ryan Howard, no one has done it. Keep in mind I'm including guys like Adam Dunn and Mark Reynolds. Those guys struck out far less often in the minors than Stanton does.

Regarding Montero's future position, far too much is being made out of it. No, he'll never be a good defensive catcher. In fact, he'll never be an average defensive catcher. He'll probably be a bad defensive catcher, but his bat draws comparisons to Miguel Cabrera and Albert Belle. Mike Piazza was a terrible catcher, and I've read scouts who say that Montero is much more athletic than Piazza and should be, at the very least, as good a fielder. If Montero's bat is truly an elite one, he'll be an incredibly valuable player behind the plate.

its clearly Heyward>Stanton>Montero for the moment...

[mulcahy26]

Montero

[mulcahy26]

sorry...i meant heyward, then montero, then stanton

[baseballguy247]

heyward

[lotti51]

Heyward is an absolute man, but a great catcher is hard to find. Montero.

[SportsAndrew25]

Jason Heyward has great plate discipline, which is a great asset in a league with tough pitchers.

[fishfan79]

don't look now for folks that believe Stanton is far behind has a better OPS, and has tied Jason in Homeruns already. Both kids are going to be monsters Add in Dominic Brown for the phillies and Washington's two kids harper and strasburg with davis for the mets gotta say the NL East is going to be interesting for a long time to come.

[krisxsong]

No way Montero or Stanton is better than Heyward. Heyward such a beast, a 5 tool player.

Power? Check
Contact? TBD, although not looking good right now.
Speed? Average, good base runner. Average.
Fielding? Check
Arm? Check

IMO he's only shown 3 tools.

[sexicano31]

Heyward






Stanton
Montero

[fishfan79]

Stanton has been injured on and off this year. But, despite that here are his numbers:

.254 .338 .532 .870 8 HR

He has an elite Arm just as good as Heywards, and defense just as good as Heywards in RF.

Heyward
.221 .329 .427 .756 7 HR

Not much difference in numbers there to object to classifying them about the same player so far. Both are great defensively and good young players that are struggling for some contact right now. Both are K'ing at high rates, Heyward has a bit better eye but Stanton has more power.