Jordan Montgomery

Jordan Blackmon Montgomery (born December 27, 1992), nicknamed "Gumby" or "Monty", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals.

Jordan Montgomery
Montgomery with the New York Yankees in 2017
Texas Rangers – No. 52
Pitcher
Born: (1992-12-27) December 27, 1992
Sumter, South Carolina, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 12, 2017, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record38–34
Earned run average3.68
Strikeouts705
Teams

Before his professional career, Montgomery played college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Yankees selected him in the 2014 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2017. The Yankees traded Montgomery to the Cardinals in 2022, and the Cardinals traded him to Texas in 2023.

Early life

Jordan Blackmon Montgomery was born on December 27, 1992, in Sumter, South Carolina. He attended Sumter High School in Sumter, South Carolina. He played for the school's baseball team and was named the state's player of the year as a senior. Also winning a high school state championship in 2011.[1]

College career

Montgomery enrolled at the University of South Carolina and played college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team.[2] He was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on April 9, 2012, and a Freshman All-American.[3] He earned the nickname "Gumby" in college after a senior baseball player used it to make fun of his long limbs and lack of coordination.[4][5]

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues (2014–2016)
Montgomery with the Tampa Yankees in 2015

The New York Yankees selected Montgomery in the fourth round, with the 122nd overall selection, of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.[3] He signed with the Yankees, receiving a $424,000 signing bonus. He pitched for the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and the Staten Island Yankees of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League, pitching to a 1–1 win–loss record with a 3.79 earned run average (ERA) in 19 innings pitched, as the Yankees limited his workload after the college season.[1] In 2015, he began the season with for the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class A South Atlantic League.[6][7] The Yankees promoted him to the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League in June.[8]

Montgomery began the 2016 season with the Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League[9] and was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA International League in August.[10] He pitched in the Triple-A National Championship Game, earning the win.[11]

New York Yankees (2017–2022)

Montgomery received a non-roster invitation to spring training in 2017,[12] and competed for a job in their Opening Day starting rotation.[13] After starting the season at Triple-A for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees promoted Montgomery to the major leagues on April 12, 2017.[14][15] In his major league debut against the Tampa Bay Rays, Montgomery received a no-decision as he allowed three runs (two earned) in 4+2⁄3 innings, striking out seven.[16] On April 17, in his second major league start, Montgomery earned his first major league win against the Chicago White Sox.[17] On June 9 against the Baltimore Orioles, Montgomery pitched a career-high seven innings and struck out a career-high eight batters.[18] Montgomery tied those same career highs in a June 26 start against the White Sox.[19] Prior to the All-Star Break, Montgomery pitched to a 3.65 ERA, striking out 87 batters in 91+1⁄3 innings.[20] On July 25, against the Cincinnati Reds, Montgomery took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Scott Schebler hit a double to break up the bid.[21] On August 6, he was optioned to Triple-A.[22] He was recalled on August 11 after CC Sabathia suffered a knee injury.[23] On August 12, Montgomery was struck in the head by an errant foul ball during batting practice while signing autographs prior to the game;[24] he was not seriously hurt.[25] In 29 starts in 2017, Montgomery finished with a 9–7 record and a 3.88 ERA.[26]

On May 1, 2018, Montgomery left a game against the Houston Astros after one inning due to elbow tightness. He went on the disabled list the next day with a flexor strain and he would miss six to eight weeks.[27] However, on June 5, it was announced that Montgomery tore his ulnar collateral ligament while throwing on flat ground during rehab a few days prior and would undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season.[28] In six starts in 2018, Montgomery finished with a 2–0 record and a 3.62 ERA.[29]

Montgomery started the 2019 season on the 60-day injured list while still recovering from the previous season's surgery. He returned to the Yankees on September 15.[30] In 2020, Montgomery pitched to a 5.11 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched, while on defense he led all AL pitchers in errors, with three.[31] In 2021, Montgomery had a 6–7 record and 3.83 ERA in 157+1⁄3 innings.[32][33]

St. Louis Cardinals (2022–2023)
Montgomery with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022

The Yankees traded Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals for Harrison Bader and a player to be named later or cash considerations on August 2, 2022.[34] He made his Cardinal debut on August 6, throwing five scoreless innings before being taken out due to cramping caused by dehydration, versus the Yankees in a 1–0 win for the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.[35] On August 22, 2022, Montgomery pitched his first complete game in the major leagues, a one-hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs.[36]

On January 13, 2023, Montgomery agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract with the Cardinals, avoiding salary arbitration.[37]

Texas Rangers (2023–present)

On July 30, 2023, the Cardinals traded Montgomery and Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers in exchange for John King, Tekoah Roby, and Thomas Saggese.[38] Montgomery started Game 1 of the 2023 American League Wild Card Series.[39]

Personal life

Montgomery has two older brothers.[4] He met his wife, Mckenzie (née Dirr), in 2017 when they were introduced by a teammate of Montgomery's.[40] She studied medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.[41]

References
  1. "Former South Carolina star Jordan Montgomery looking forward to pitching with RiverDogs". Post and Courier. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  2. Kornblut, Phil (July 13, 2010). "Sumter pitcher picks USC". The State. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  3. "Yankees select USC pitcher Montgomery in fourth round of MLB Draft". WACH FOX. June 6, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  4. Serby, Steve (April 16, 2017). "Jordan Montgomery on journey to majors and why he's called 'Gumby'". New York Post. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  5. Marchand, Andrew (July 7, 2017). "From Gumby to the next Andy Pettitte? Jordan Montgomery blossoms in Bronx". ESPN. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  6. "Former Gamecock pitcher Jordan Montgomery assigned to Charleston RiverDogs". Post and Courier. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  7. "New York Yankees prospect Jordan Montgomery goes career-high seven innings for Charleston RiverDogs". MiLB.com. May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  8. "Jordan Montgomery almost perfect in Yankees' Tampa affiliate debut". Newsday. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. Franko, Kyle (July 3, 2016). "Jordan Montgomery having All-Star season for Thunder". The Trentonian. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  10. Hennigan, Shane (August 9, 2016). "RailRiders: Montgomery's strong starts don't go unnoticed by RailRiders". The Times-Tribune. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  11. "Montgomery winning pitcher in Triple-A title game". The Sumter Item. September 21, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  12. DiPietro, Lou (March 11, 2017). "Jordan Montgomery is opening eyes in Yankees camp this spring". YES Network. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  13. "What you need to know about Jordan Montgomery, Yankees' starter vs. Rays on Wednesday". The Star-Ledger. April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  14. III, George A. King (April 10, 2017). "Yankees' spring training darling wins 5th-starter job". New York Post. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  15. "What Yankees like about left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who is debuting Wednesday". The Star-Ledger. April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  16. Miller, Randy. "Jordan Montgomery does OK in debut, but Aaron Judge star of Yankees win". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  17. Sherman, Joel (April 17, 2017). "Jordan Montgomery has chance to be something rare for Yankees". New York Post. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  18. "Yankees' Jordan Montgomery, Aaron Hicks down Orioles | Rapid reaction". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  19. "Jordan Montgomery pitches New York Yankees past Chicago White Sox". United Press International. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  20. "Jordan Montgomery » Splits » 2017 » Pitching | FanGraphs Baseball". Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  21. "Yankees-Reds: Jordan Montgomery loses no-hitter in 6th inning". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  22. "Montgomery optioned to minors by Yankees". TheBigSpur. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  23. "CC Sabathia to DL; Jordan Montgomery recalled". Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  24. "Yankees pitcher Jordan Montgomery struck in head by ball during batting practice". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  25. "Jordan Montgomery OK after being hit in head during batting practice". Newsday. August 12, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  26. "Ex-Yankees manager expects 'big year' for Jordan Montgomery". March 26, 2021.
  27. "Jordan Montgomery goes on DL with elbow strain". MLB. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  28. Sears, Ethan (June 5, 2018). "Yankees lose Jordan Montgomery to Tommy John surgery". New York Post. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  29. Kuty, Brendan (May 10, 2019). "How Yankees' Jordan Montgomery changed his return timetable". nj.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  30. Ackert, Kristie (September 14, 2019). "Jordan Montgomery 'excited' to be back with Yankees, will start vs. Blue Jays on Sunday". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  31. "2020 American League Pitcher". Baseball-Reference.com.
  32. "Yankees' Jordan Montgomery focusing on fastball command over velocity". April 2, 2022.
  33. Tri-City Herald
  34. Hoch, Bryan. "Bader heads to Yanks from Cards for Monty". MLB.com.
  35. "Montgomery blanks Yankees in Cardinals debut". August 7, 2022.
  36. "Albert Pujols' homer lifts Cardinals lefty Jordan Montgomery to win in one-hitter vs. Cubs". August 22, 2022.
  37. McDonald, Darragh (January 13, 2023). "Cardinals, Jordan Montgomery Avoid Arbitration". MLBTradeRumors.com. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  38. Grant, Evan (July 30, 2023). "Texas Rangers acquire Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton from St. Louis Cardinalsatton-report-says/". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  39. https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2023/10/03/rangers-rays-al-wild-card-score-updates/
  40. "Jordan Montgomery's fiancée posts Yankees engagement pics before trade". August 4, 2022.
  41. "How Jordan Montgomery stays ready for Yankees amid coronavirus uncertainty". April 6, 2020.
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