After having Tommy John surgery during the 2018 season, Jordan Montgomery returned during the 2019 season for the New York Yankees where he only appeared in two games. He only pitched a total of two innings in each outing where he allowed three earned runs while fanning five.
The last time he’s had a full season was during 2017, where he started 29 games and finished with a 9-7 record. Despite the mediocre record, he was credited to a solid 3.88 ERA.
Montgomery has dealt with a lot of adversity during his three years in the Major Leagues however shows high promise. He pitches backward, highlighting a curveball at 82mph and a sinker at 92mph. Montgomery also works in a four-seam fastball sitting around 92mph and a changeup at 83mph.
The 2019 Yankee rotation consisted of JA Happ, James Paxton, CC Sabathia, and Domingo German. Sabathia retired, and it’s unclear on what will happen with German, so there may be an opening for Montgomery. It’s also possible that the Yankees could use him as a utility guy, pitching both as a starter and out of the bullpen.
However, if the New York Yankees add another arm from the free-agent market, Montgomery could be buried behind someone especially if it’s a big name like Gerrit Cole.
But remember, it wasn’t expected that Montgomery was going to be in the rotation for the 2017 season. He won that spot from performing well. “Jordan Montgomery won a rotation spot, he wasn’t even on a competition list that anybody was talking about going into the spring,” said general manager Brian Cashman. “He wasn’t part of the depth chart, and he leapfrogged everybody and the coaches were pounding the table for him.”