Last year Bonita Vista High first baseman Hector Montez led the Barons attack hitting an impressive .429 with 38 RBIs, five doubles and seven home runs. Montez launched six of his seven homers during BV’s impressive stretch run during which he led his team to the CIF Division II semifinals. He is back again this year, but now he is a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger.

“Hector has great strength, but his bat speed is what makes the difference for him. He obviously has a good eye for the ball as well. When he hits the ball it makes a different sound and it draws your attention. “That type of hitting comes around once every ten years.” said Baron Coach Vincent Gervais.

Montez works primarily at first base, but he can also play third and he pitches effectively when called upon.

“Hector is a big kid, but he is far more athletic than what people give him credit for. I think he is really going to make a name for himself.”

Montez grew up in San Ysidro and learned the game on both sides of the border.

“I start off when I was a little kid. I began playing Tee-ball started loving the game and learning from my dad. I was always around the game. Most of the other people in my family were more interested in soccer, but baseball was always my favorite sport,” Montez recalled.

He progressed up the ladder from Little League to a competitive traveling team to Pony League.

“I lived with my grandma in San Ysidro and I would go back and forth across the border to play baseball over there. The team I played on there traveled throughout Mexico. I had some good coaches over there and the baseball there was very fast paced. People were more involved with it and there were less politics involved. If you were good down there you played.”

“When I was about 13 our Pony League team made it to the World Series. We didn’t win it, but we placed third and we had a lot of fun out there. Last summer I went to Australia for two weeks and played with a Scout Ball team.”

It is no accident that Montez hits as well as he does. Good hitting requires plenty of practice and dedication.

“I have my own batting cage at my house and I try to hit every day or at least every other day. Whenever I have free time, I am out there hitting whether it is on the weekends in the morning or after school. I want to improve because there is always room for improvement.”

Montez idolizes St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols and he has carefully analyzed his swing.

“I just love the way he hits. His bat swing is always right there and with power. I look up to him when I am trying to improve my swing.”

Someday, Montez would like to join Pujols as a Major Leaguer. He hopes to take the first step toward that goal in June.

“I have been talking with a couple scouts and they seem interested in me, so I am hoping to get drafted in June. If I don’t get picked then I’ll play at a junior college. We will just have to wait and see.”