Rafael Montero
34-Year-Old
Houston Astros AAA
2024 Stats
W-L
1-2
ERA
4.70
WHIP
1.41
K
23
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
A year after signing a big, 3-year contract to return Houston, Montero regressed back to the inconsistent pitcher we knew from years past. The 33-year-old posted a horrific 5.08 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 1.5 HR/9 while recording a mere 11 saves-plus-holds after racking up 37 the year prior. Montero's hard-hit metrics also took a huge step backward last season. His 29th percentile barrel percentage (9.1 percent) plummeted from the 99th percentile mark (2.9 percent) he posted the season prior. The strikeouts, whiffs, and fastball velocity remained, but the veteran right-hander appears destined for middle relief in 2024 thanks to Houston's electric late-inning triumvirate of Josh Hader, Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu. Read Past Outlooks
Clears waivers, sent to Triple-A
The Astros outrighted Montero to Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
After he was designated for assignment Wednesday, Montero unsurprisingly went unclaimed off waivers, given that he's in the second season of a three-year, $34.5 million contract. Montero would have forfeited the money remaining on the contract had he elected free agency, so he'll stick around in the Houston organization and look to impress at Sugar Land with the hope of earning another look in the big-league bullpen. The 33-year-old had appeared in 41 games for the Astros this season, registering 10 holds with a 4.70 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 23:19 K:BB across 38.1 innings.
After he was designated for assignment Wednesday, Montero unsurprisingly went unclaimed off waivers, given that he's in the second season of a three-year, $34.5 million contract. Montero would have forfeited the money remaining on the contract had he elected free agency, so he'll stick around in the Houston organization and look to impress at Sugar Land with the hope of earning another look in the big-league bullpen. The 33-year-old had appeared in 41 games for the Astros this season, registering 10 holds with a 4.70 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 23:19 K:BB across 38.1 innings.
Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
17
Last 10 Games
17
Last 5 Games
17
How many pitches does Rafael Montero generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Rafael Montero generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-6%
BAA vs LHP
2024
-32%
BAA vs RHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .233 | 78 | 44 | 74 | 12 | |||
Since 2022vs Right | .247 | 97 | 27 | 82 | 10 | |||
2024vs Left | .296 | 9 | 11 | 21 | 6 | |||
2024vs Right | .200 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 2 | |||
2023vs Left | .267 | 35 | 18 | 35 | 4 | |||
2023vs Right | .291 | 44 | 11 | 39 | 7 | |||
2022vs Left | .157 | 34 | 15 | 18 | 2 | |||
2022vs Right | .227 | 39 | 8 | 29 | 1 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-24%
ERA at Home
2024
-39%
ERA on Road
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | 3.44 | 1.27 | 96.2 | 9.7 | 3.4 | ||||
Since 2022Away | 4.54 | 1.34 | 77.1 | 8.3 | 4.1 | ||||
2024Home | 5.89 | 1.64 | 18.1 | 6.4 | 4.9 | ||||
2024Away | 3.60 | 1.20 | 20.0 | 4.5 | 4.1 | ||||
2023Home | 4.10 | 1.53 | 37.1 | 11.3 | 3.6 | ||||
2023Away | 6.30 | 1.53 | 30.0 | 9.6 | 4.2 | ||||
2022Home | 1.76 | 0.88 | 41.0 | 9.7 | 2.4 | ||||
2022Away | 3.29 | 1.24 | 27.1 | 9.5 | 4.0 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Rafael Montero compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
1.21K/9
5.4BB/9
4.5HR/9
1.9Fastball
95.2 mphERA
4.70WHIP
1.41BABIP
.241GB/FB
1.46Left On Base
77.1%Exit Velocity
83.0 mphBarrels/BBE
5.2%Spin Rate
2292 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
22.9%Swinging Strike
7.8%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2015
2014
A post-hype breakout at age 31? Montero was a surprising contributor to Houston's league-best bullpen, quickly establishing himself as the Astros setup man and backup closer after a phenomenal start to 2022. The right-hander added velocity to all four of his pitches, yielding excellent results across 68.1 innings. He posted career marks in saves (14), holds (23) and ERA (2.37) while ranking highly across most Statcast metrics. In particular, Montero's 2.9% barrel percentage was sixth-best in the league and within the 99th percentile. His well-timed outputs during a contract year earned him a 3-year, $34.5 million deal to return to Houston, where he will presumably pitch the eighth inning again and back up Ryan Pressly.
More Fantasy News
DFA'd by Houston
The Astros designated Montero for assignment Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Pitching well to begin 2024
Montero allowed one walk and no hits while striking out one across a scoreless inning to earn a hold Saturday against the Nationals.
ANALYSIS
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Takes loss with ugly line
Montero (0-1) allowed four earned runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning to take the loss Saturday against the Mariners.
ANALYSIS
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Picks up save
Montero allowed a hit and tallied one strikeout in a scoreless inning to earn a save in Friday's win over the White Sox.
ANALYSIS
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Remaining in Houston
Montero signed a three-year, $34.5 million deal to return to the Astros on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Weighing options
According to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, Montero will talk with his family and agent before deciding whether to accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Sugar Land or elect free agency.
ANALYSIS
The right-hander was designated for assignment by Houston on Wednesday, but there's essentially no chance he's claimed off waivers given what remains of the three-year, $34.5 million contract he signed prior to last season. Montero struggled to a 5.08 ERA in 68 outings in 2023 and hasn't been much better this season with a 4.70 ERA and 23:19 K:BB over 38.1 innings. Some time in the minors could help the 33-year-old get back on track, but he may elect to check out his options in free agency rather than heading straight to Triple-A for the Astros.
The right-hander was designated for assignment by Houston on Wednesday, but there's essentially no chance he's claimed off waivers given what remains of the three-year, $34.5 million contract he signed prior to last season. Montero struggled to a 5.08 ERA in 68 outings in 2023 and hasn't been much better this season with a 4.70 ERA and 23:19 K:BB over 38.1 innings. Some time in the minors could help the 33-year-old get back on track, but he may elect to check out his options in free agency rather than heading straight to Triple-A for the Astros.