Seattle Mariners Must Watch Jesus Montero's Health This Week

Jesus Montero is going to be looked at as one of the major keys for the Seattle Mariners to turn their fortunes around in 2013.

Montero avoided major injury on Saturday after getting hit in the head by an errant backswing. He appears to have avoided a concussion in the process, but it had to be a scary moment for the catcher and the Mariners. Seattle will be extra careful with the prized young slugger during this final week before the regular season starts and they have every reason to do that.

Montero is probably going to find himself behind the plate for most of this 2013 season and after proving he was an offensive force last year, the catcher could be on his way to a career year. Montero hit 15 home runs last season in 135 games, and I expect that he will play in about 150 games this season between catching and being Seattle’s designated hitter.

This week should be about recovery for Montero though to make sure that his head is on straight again before the regular season begins. This is an important season for his development and I believe that he will finish over 25 home runs.

There have been some scary incidents over this spring training for the Mariners, and this Montero freak injury just adds to the stress on the team.

Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.