Montanez Promoted to AA West Tenn
July 14, 2005 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
PEORIA, IL-The Peoria Chiefs in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs have announced that All-Star outfielder Luis Montanez has been promoted to AA West Tenn of the Southern League. Montanez left the Chiefs Thursday morning and is expected to join the Diamond Jaxx Thursday night.
Montanez leaves the Chiefs as the team leader in games played, at-bats, plate appearances, doubles, hits, runs scored, slugging and total bases. He is among the top five in the Midwest League in hits, slugging, extra base hits, doubles and total bases. Overall this season, the left-fielder appeared in 82 games batting .305 with 12 homers, 48 RBI, 54 runs scored, 28 doubles and a .521 slugging percentage.
The 23 year-old was drafted in the 1st round (3rd overall) by the Cubs in 2000 out of Coral Park High School in Miami, Florida. This will be his first career appearance in AA after spending parts of six seasons either in the Low-A Midwest League or High-A Florida State League. This season, Montanez has already established a career high in homers and is five doubles and 13 RBI shy of his career marks in those categories.
Montanez was selected as a shortstop to the 2001 Midwest League All-Star Game and switched to the outfield last season. In 2004 he was a Northwest League All-Star and batted .293 with eight homers and 47 RBI to help Boise to a Championship. This season he was again a Midwest League All-Star and also participated in last week's Futures Game at the All-Star Game in Detroit, Michigan. He started the game in leftfield for the World and was 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
His departure leaves a void in the Chiefs outfield and in the lineup. Montanez started 72 games in left field this season and batted in the clean-up spot 54 times. He has not immediately been replaced on the roster as the Chiefs head into Thursday's 7:00 game at Burlington with 24 players. Drew Larsen is expected to start in left field on Thursday though Bo Flowers and Jesse Schmidt will most likely get the bulk of the outfield work. Schmidt will bat in the clean up spot Thursday as the DH in Julio Garcia's lineup.
Midwest League Stories from July 14, 2005
- Bees spring past Chiefs - Burlington Bees
- L-Kings continue dominance of Kernels in 6-2 loss - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Rattlers come back, topple Swing - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Rattlers chip away and beat the Swing - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Devil Rays split soaked doubleheader with Lugnuts - Southwest Michigan Devil Rays
- West Michigan wins third in a row - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Bees have last laugh against Chiefs - Peoria Chiefs
- Whitecaps pick up 6-5 win, clinch season series - Dayton Dragons
- Catcher David Castillo Returns to Cougars; Infielder Eddie Kim Lands on DL - Kane County Cougars
- Broken Hamate Sidelines "Big Mo" - Dayton Dragons
- Montanez Promoted to AA West Tenn - Peoria Chiefs
- Campbell Back on the Disabled List, Schambough Joins Bees - Burlington Bees
- L-Kings Take Game One From Kernels - Clinton LumberKings
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