Franyerber Montilla Scouting Report

Franyerber Montilla Scouting Report

Background: A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Franyerber Montilla is a switch-hitting infielder who signed with the Detroit Tigers in January 2022. He began his professional career in the 2022 Dominican Summer League, and repeated the league in 2023, with significantly better results. Montilla made his U.S. debut in 2024, flashing five-tool ability in the Florida Complex League before struggling in a 20-game stint in Low-A Lakeland. He was the team’s best hitter in the FSL Championship series, however, going 7-for-11 with two triples and a double.

Physical description: Montilla is listed at 6-foot-0 and 160 pounds. He may be 10-15 pounds heavier now, but he’s still a skinny and probably won’t get too much larger. He’s a twitchy athlete, with a relatively standard batting stance from both sides of the plate. He employs a small load and moderate leg kick before whipping his bat through the zone.

Hit: 30

Montilla doesn’t show particularly good feel for manipulating the barrel right now. He shows some feel for covering the inside and outside parts of the plate, but he currently struggles to work north and south. His patient approach should eventually be a positive for him, but in Low-A it often led to him passing on pitches he could drive and falling behind in counts. He can be a little jumpy in the batter’s box at times, occasionally losing his balance on swings. But he does show plus bat speed from both sides, with his right-handed swing relatively flat, and his lefty swing featuring more of an uppercut path.

Power: 45

Montilla shows surprising pop for a player his size, with one batted ball topping 108 MPH in his limited time in Lakeland. His game power figures to manifest itself mostly as line drives to the gaps and corners, but he could reach double-digit home runs in his prime.

Run: 55

Montilla shows above-average speed that plays up because of his aggressive, all-out style of play. His home-to-first times are average, but he’s close to a plus runner underway, and he’s not shy about stealing or taking an extra base whenever possible.

Defense: 55

He can stand to be a little more consistent on routine plays, but Montilla has all the tools to play shortstop at the highest level. He shows a quick first step, above-average range, smooth actions, and a strong, accurate arm. He’s also capable of playing second base and third base.

Arm: 50

Montilla has a good internal clock and typically zips the ball to first with good carry and accuracy. He can also uncork quality throws from deep in the hole.

Overall: Franyerber Montilla is one of the more exciting young prospects in Detroit’s system, but it’s important to emphasize the word young. He turns 20 early in the 2025 season, and he has played fewer than 70 games in the U.S. It’s easy to dream on him developing into an everyday shortstop, but he needs to make some serious strides with his hit tool over the next few seasons, while also maintaining his athleticism, speed, and defensive ability. That’s a tough needle to thread, and the odds are pretty good that he’ll come up short in at least one of those areas. Still, the secondary tools are strong enough here to envision Montilla at least reaching the big leagues as a utility man one day.