Miguel Montero: Don’t Call It a Comeback

Do not look now, but the Chicago Cubs are on their way to their first playoff appearance since 2008. While it has been the likes of Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, and Anthony Rizzo that have been justly getting most of the credit for the turnaround, there are some players whose value have been overlooked.

The one player I have in mind is, Miguel Montero. Now I know that people will see his .239/13 HR/41 RBI line, and scoff at the notion that he is key to the Cubs success. But the fact of the matter is, the Cubs are going to need him if they plan on making a deep playoff run this season.

Fantasy owners should be familiar with Montero because of his exploits in Arizona, where he was one of the better power/average combo catchers at the position. After a pretty solid four-year run, Montero slowed down in 2013-2014, as injuries and lack of performance caught up to him.

More from FanSided

• Joe Burrow owes Justin Herbert a thank you note after new contract
• Chiefs gamble at wide receiver could already be biting them back
• Braves-Red Sox start time: Braves rain delay in Boston on July 25
• Yankees: Aaron Boone gives optimistic return date for Aaron Judge
• MLB Rumors: Yankees-Phillies trade showdown, Mariners swoop, India goes to Seattle

But, Theo Epstein had to seem some value in Montero as he decided to trade for him in the offseason and have him in come to potentially be the every day starter. Even though Montero was the best all-around catching option the Cubs had, the position remained murky as the season started.

The Cubs had Montero, David Ross, and Welington Castillo in the fold, and it seemed as though the position was going to be a log jam for the near future. Ross was assured starts, by basically being Jon Lester’s personal caddy and Castillo had some pop that may warrant playing time.

The logjam was helped some when the Cubs finally dished Castillo to the Mariners, so Montero seemed to in line for the lion share of starts. But then, this Schwarber kid came up and came out raking forcing the Cubs to give him some starts behind the plate, leaving Montero in a cloudy situation again.

During this time as well, Montero hurt his thumb and hit the D.L., allowing most fantasy owners to write him completely off for the 2015 season. After more starts, it was clear to the Cubs that Schwarber was not going to cut it behind the plate, so he now finds himself in left field allowing Montero to return and practically be the full-time starting catcher again.

This all leads me to the point that, Montero could never really get into a groove this season because he was always being shuffled in and out of the lineup, and his thumb injury slowed him even more. However, since he has returned, he is starting to look like the D’Backs version of himself as he has rediscovered his power stroke and now resembles more of a threat at the plate.

Since his August 7 return, he has posted a, .289/3 HR/9 RBI/1.032 OPS line, which are clearly solid numbers, especially from the catcher spot. It is also important to note, that at Wrigley this season, he has been great as well, .275/7 HR/25 RBI.

His success at home plays into what I deem his fantasy value going forward because with fantasy playoffs fast approaching, there are two ideal home stands that could play perfectly into owning Montero. They have a six home games from Sept. 1-6 and a huge nine game stretch between the 18^th and 27^th.

Therefore, fantasy owners should snag Montero now as he could provide immediate success, but he could also be a key addition as those home stands are perfectly aligned with a playoff run. If you can plan ahead now and make moves like these with the playoffs in mind, you will definitely have an advantage over any opponent. down the stretch. This move could pay huge dividends.