Beyond two quite well received drafts for the Detroit Tigers under Scott Harris, the front office has also done an outstanding job juicing the farm system even further with trades. We’ve already covered fourth ranked Thayron Liranzo, eighth ranked Hao-Yu Lee, and 12th ranked Trey Sweeney. Now we come to the 20th ranked prospect in the system, right-handed starting pitcher Joseph Montalvo, who was acquired from the Texas Rangers last July along with reliever Chase Lee in a really nice trade of reliever Andrew Chafin.
The Rangers got two months of Chafin and didn’t make the postseason. The Tigers made it to the AL Divisional Series and also came away with another talented young pitching prospect and a reliever in Lee who will probably get a look in the majors this season. On a smaller scale than the Jack Flaherty trade, Harris and company once again came out far ahead in the exchange.
The now 22-year-old Montalvo was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Florida for high school. The Rangers signed him out of Central Pointe Christian Academy in Kissimmee Florida as a 20th rounder back in 2021. He received just $125,000 in signing bonus to pass on college, so we’ll take that as a sign that he was dead set on getting to pro ball as soon as possible.
In the Rangers system, Montalvo posted good numbers from the start, racking up plenty of strikeouts with his advanced fastball control and above average slider. While he still only scrapes the mid-90’s occasionally with his fastball, the pitch has quality riding life that is augmented by his delivery. A nasty slider, a developing changeup, and his smooth easy arm action do the rest, forecasting good command as he continues to refine his game.
After some home run trouble with the Rangers in High-A last spring, Montalvo’s command started improving and he was rolling by the time he tore a ligament in his foot in late June. That kept him out of action for a month, and perhaps helped the Tigers pry him away from the Rangers in the process. He never really got locked in again with time running out in the minor league calendar.
Once he was rehabbed, the Tigers were pretty careful with Montalvo and he only threw 19 innings for the Whitecaps. His strikeout numbers dropped, but he also cut down the home run trouble that had plagued him in the first half of the season. Either way, it was a very small sample and there was a lot of change involved for a young player, so I wouldn’t take anything out of his Whitecaps numbers. Now heathy and prepping for a full season in the organization, he’ll look to to advance to Double-A Erie and put it all together in 2025.
Joseph Montalvo 2022-2024
| Season | IP | ERA | K% | BB% | HR/9 | WHIP | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | IP | ERA | K% | BB% | HR/9 | WHIP | FIP |
| 2022 (CPX) | 23.1 | 2.31 | 37.5 | 3.1 | 0.39 | 1.07 | 2.23 |
| 2023 (A) | 95.1 | 2.83 | 27.0 | 9.8 | 0.85 | 1.19 | 4.10 |
| 2024 (High-A) | 78.0 | 3.00 | 27.2 | 8.0 | 1.04 | 1.17 | 3.93 |
Montalvo’s slider is his best pitch and the basis for a lot of his punch outs in A-ball. The riding fastball does most of the rest. His smooth, repeatable delivery and easy arm speed forecast good command, and he was starting to make some strides in that department before the injury. We’d expect him to be back on track this spring.
To really project as a future starter, that command will need to improve and Montalvo needs to find a little more velocity. It’s a little easier to be confident in the former. He has some room to get physically stronger and is listed at six-foot-two and 185 pounds, but he’ll be 23 years old in May. It would take some doing to get him into the mid-90’s consistently if he hasn’t made significant progress this offseason. He has a lively enough fastball that he could be a successful starter throwing 93-94 mph, but he currently sits 91-92 mph, reaching the mid-90’s only when he really leans on one.
Montalvo’s slider comes out of his hand with a little hop that mirrors his fourseamer and then really breaks hard down and away from right-handers. As he gets more consistent with the 82 mph breaker he should have a plus weapon which gives him a path as a reliever if he can’t put together a complete starter’s repertoire.
The biggest piece of that puzzle is Montalvo’s changeup. He has to have a consistently good third pitch to start and the changeup does flash pretty good potential. His extension and easy arm action help sell the changeup and it has pretty good fade down and away from left-handed hitters. The flaws are the mediocre velocity separation, which again goes back to needing to sit closer to his max velocity as a starter, and inconsistency. He still doesn’t look that confident in it as more than a show-me pitch.
So, he has the breaking ball and fastball shapes to succeed, and he projects for solid command. Montalvo is a pretty good athlete, as illustrated by his smooth, balanced delivery, and the Tigers are good with biomechanics. There’s a reasonable chance they can squeeze a little more velocity out of the heater. VP of player development Ryan Garko was optimistic about Montalvo’s physical projection in interviews this offseason, and if Montalvo can manage that and refine the changeup he should have a good season at the Double-A level and solidify himself as a quality starting pitching prospect.
2025 Outlook
Montalvo should handle the move to Double-A Erie pretty well. He has starter traits in terms of strike throwing, controlling the running game, and working in and out of the stretch without difficulty. For now, a future as a mid-rotation starter remains the ceiling for his game. More likely he’s tracking toward a career as a fairly versatile but not overpowering reliever who can handle spot starts and long outings as needed.
The life on the fastball and his extension gives him some leeway to fall a little short in the velocity department and still make it, but the window is somewhat narrow on that pathway. He really needs to develop his changeup and bring that up to the level of his slider.
Montalvo is unlikely to be a guy who can eventually dominate major league lineups with a fastball heavy approach. His easy arm speed and good mechanics forecast above average command eventually and he has a fair chance of pitching in the major leagues. It’s just more likely that he turns out to be a useful role player than either a full-time starter or high leverage reliever. The floor is pretty solid. The ceiling needs more development.