Tigers’ Franyerber Montilla Profiles As A Complete Player
Returning to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas to round out their 2022 international signing period, the Tigers found the intellect and athleticism of shortstop Franyerber Montilla too difficult to pass on.
Detroit signed the switch-hitter for $500,000 and assigned him to the Dominican Summer League, where he spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
This also allowed the Tigers the opportunity to dive deeper into the profile that first caught their attention.
“His ability to play shortstop has really stood out,” Tigers vice president of player development Ryan Garko said. “His instincts, his arm strength, his angles to balls—all of the traits we’d hope to see from a young player are very evident when he plays.”
The 19-year-old Montilla advanced to the Florida Complex League this season.
“(Montilla) is a very good baserunner who impacts the game every time he gets on base,” Garko said. “He has been impressive offensively, and the numbers show that. But his ability to impact a game without the bat in his hand has been just as impressive.
“The most impressive thing we have seen from Franyerber has been his high baseball IQ.”
Garko lauded Montilla’s advanced approach at the plate and at-bat quality, while saying of his defense that “he is able to slow the game down and make difficult plays look quite routine.”
Through 30 games in the FCL, Montilla hit .321/.450/.518 with four home runs and 15 stolen bases. He played shortstop primarily but also appeared regularly at second base and third base.
“Montilla right now is profiling as a very complete player,” Garko said. “He can defend at shortstop. He runs. He has a strong arm. The hit tool from both sides is advanced for his age, and he is showing power that we hope he will continue to unlock as he gets stronger.”
