Mets minor-league pitcher Rafael Montero isn't labeled among the team's top-five prospects by MLB.com, but the young right-hander is certainly performing like one. Montero, who ranks No. 8 overall on the organization's prospect list behind other pitchers Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia, has shined during the early part of the season with Double-A Binghamton.
With a fastball that can reach the upper-90s and spins with plenty of movement, Montero has racked up an Eastern League-leading 27 strikeouts to just one walk over 22 2/3 innings in his first four starts. The 22-year-old, who was signed as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic before the 2011 season, also owns a 3-0 record and tidy 1.59 ERA.