The next year he was included in the Bowman set. It seemed like it would just be a matter of time before he would be a member of the Cubs. But the Cubs have a warped sense of time. Remember that this is the franchise that can go for a century without a championship. For Lou Montanez, "a matter of time" became eleven years.
Lou's career with the Cubs stalled and after the 2006 season he was released. He managed only 82 games in AAA in 2006 and hit .224. He looked like another draft bust.
The Orioles signed him for 2007 and he started the season in AA. After hitting .369 he was moved to AAA. He went back to AA to start the 2008 season, but after another hot start, .335, he was called up to the Orioles. He spent three seasons going back and forth between Baltimore and the minors. With the Orioles he hit .223 and after the 2010 season he was again looking for a team.
The Cubs signed him to a minor league deal for the 2011 season and he started the year in Iowa. When Marlon Byrd was hit in the face by a pitch and placed on the DL, it was Lou Montanez who got brought to the majors.
So here we are, eleven years after he was first drafted, and Lou Montanez finally makes his debut with the Cubs. He started against the Mets on May 24, the day he was called up, and was 2-4 with an RBI.
I made this Bowman card for Lou to commemorate his eleven year journey to Wrigley Field.
If you don't mind, I'm going to send this card to Montanez in a TTM request.
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