Bulls in the Pros: Montes Having a Monster Debut Season

Bulls in the Pros: Montes Having a Monster Debut Season

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JULY 13, 2018 – Former USF infielder Coco Montes continues to take pro baseball by storm after being selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 15th round of this year's MLB Draft.

Through 24 games, Montes is batting .423 with three homers, 13 extra-base hits and 16 RBI for the Grand Junction Rockies of the rookie Pioneer League. Montes had an 18-game hitting streak going from June 18 to July 6 and he's produced multiple hits in 12 games, including a 2-for-5 performance on Wednesday.

Hitting was something Montes did often during his fantastic final season with the Bulls in 2018. Back at shortstop (his position in the pros), the junior batted .331 with 23 doubles, which marked the fourth-most in USF single-season history. Montes drove in 40 runs, scored 43 runs from the leadoff spot and earned all-conference honors while putting together a 20-game hitting streak.

McClanahan Talks About 'Dreams Coming True'
Sporting his fresh Rays cap, former USF ace Shane McClanahan joined the FOX Sports Florida broadcast of the Tampa Bay-Detroit game at Tropicana Field on Tuesday to talk about becoming a pro. The flame-throwing left-hander recently signed with Tampa Bay after being drafted 31st overall last month.

"I've dreamed about this since I was 6 years old, so it's just awesome to be here and be able to take in the experience with my friends and family," he said.

McClanahan finished second nationally in 2018 with 14.15 strikeouts per nine innings as a redshirt sophomore with the Bulls in 2018. One day, the Cape Coral, Fla., native hopes to fan more batters in the Bay Area as a big leaguer .

"It's a culmination of dreams coming true," he said.
 
  • ANOTHER SAVE FOR PETE: Peter Strzelecki, a standout starter for the Bulls this past season, earned his second pro save by pitching a scoreless frame for the Helena Brewers on July 8. Strzelecki also is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA through 7.0 innings in the Pioneer League (rookie).
  • QUACK AN ALL-STAR: Kevin Quackenbush made an appearance in the Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday. USF's former standout reliever certainly earned his All-Star nod by racking up 13 saves with a 0.34 ERA through 26.2 innings.
Find out how other former USF standouts are faring in pro baseball this season below:
 
Name Organization Position League (Level) Team Stats
Austin Adams Washington P International (AAA) Syracuse Chiefs 0-2, 2.03 ERA, 5 saves, 44 Ks, 26.2 IP. Also on MLB 40-man roster.
Joe Cavallaro N.Y. Mets P Florida State (A Advanced) St. Lucie Mets 1-0, 0.00, 6 Ks, 6.0 IP. Assigned to
St. Lucie on July 7.
Tommy Eveld Arizona P California (A-Advanced) Visalia Rawhide 2-2, 1.31 ERA, 10 saves,
41 Ks, 34.1 IP
Jimmy Herget Cincinnati P International (AAA) Louisville Bats 1-2, 3.29 ERA, 41 Ks, 38.1 IP
Brandon Lawson Tampa Bay P Southern (AA) Montgomery Biscuits 2-1, 5.11 ERA, 23 Ks, 24.2 IP
Shane McClanahan Tampa Bay P Gulf Coast  (Rookie) Rays Signed with Rays before the July 6 deadline.
Kevin Merrell Oakland SS California (A-Advanced) Stockton Ports Seven-day disabled list. .267, 10 2B,
3 3B, 5 SB, 24 RBI, 62 games
Coco Montes Colorado SS Pioneer (Rookie) Grand Junction Rockies .423, 3 HR,
8 2B, 16 RBI,
3 SB, 24 games
Dan Otero Cleveland P MLB Indians 1-1, 5.71 ERA,  26 Ks, 34.2 IP
Andrew Perez Chicago White Sox P South Atlantic (A) Kannapolis Intimidators 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 3 Ks, 5.0 IP
Kevin Quackenbush Cincinnati P International (AAA) Louisville Bats 0-0, 0.34 ERA, 13 saves, 32 Ks, 26.2 IP. Triple-A All-Star.
Phoenix Sanders Tampa Bay P Midwest (A) Bowling Green Hot Rods 4-1, 2.45 ERA, 3 saves, 56 Ks, 40.1 IP
Peter Strzelecki Milwaukee P Pioneer (Rookie) Helena Brewers 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 saves, 7 Ks, 7.0 IP
Ryan Valdes Pittsburgh P New York-Penn (A-Short Season) West Virginia Black Bears 0-0, 4.61 ERA, 1 save, 9 Ks, 13.2 IP
David Villar San Francisco 3B Northwest (A-Short Season) Salem-Keizer Volcanoes .286, 4 HR,
11 RBI, 14 games
 
 
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