MLB Prospects GIF: Jesus Montero OK After HBP in Head

On Sunday afternoon, the Rockies found themselves on the verge of a bench-clearing brawl after Ubaldo Jimenez cowardly drilled former teammate Troy Tulowitzki with the first pitch of the game.

One day later, the team was once again involved in an ugly, hit-by-pitch-related incident.  This time, however, it was clearly unintentional.

In the sixth inning of Monday's game against the Seattle Mariners, highly-touted prospect Jesus Montero—Prospect Pipeline's No. 12 prospect—was drilled with the bases loaded by a backed-up slider from Rockies right-hander Edgmer Escalona.

The errant pitch hit Montero flush in the side of the helmet, who then fell to the ground, rolling over on his back before hopping to his feet in an adrenaline-inspired rage.

The 22-year-old catcher/designated hitter was escorted to the Mariners' dugout under his own power by manager Eric Wedge and trainer Rick Griffin.

Still heated, Montero made sure to get in a few choice, final words before descending the steps of the dugout. 

As a former player, I'll be the first to admit that there's nothing scarier than a pitch on an inevitable collision course with your head.  In the case of a backed-up slider like the one that plunked Montero, a hitter's first instinct is to freeze upon recognizing it's not a fastball.  However, the cement mixer slider—as made famous by Joe Borowski—hardly breaks back to the plate, and thus retains it's original trajectory.

As you can see in Montero's reaction, being on the receiving end of a such a pitch is an utterly helpless and indefensible position.

Fortunately, Montero's postgame comments indicate that he was rattled after getting hit but otherwise unharmed.  Prior to the incident, Montero had just finished catching a dominant Felix Hernandez and didn't look terrible behind the plate.  He did rush one throw on a steal attempt at second base, but was otherwise serviceable.

In order to maximize the value of his bat and work other young hitters into their starting line up, the Mariners will need Montero to hold his own behind the dish as often as possible.