Jordan Montgomery

Jordan Blackmon Montgomery (born December 27, 1992), nicknamed "Gumby" or "Monty", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers.

Before his professional career, Montgomery played college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Yankees selected him in the 2014 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2017. The Yankees traded Montgomery to the Cardinals in 2022, and the Cardinals traded him to the Texas Rangers, where he won his first championship in the 2023 World Series.

Early life
Jordan Blackmon Montgomery was born on December 27, 1992, in Sumter, South Carolina. He attended Sumter High School where he played for the school's baseball team, being named the state's player of the year as a senior. He also won a high school state championship in 2011 and was later named Pitcher of the Decade in South Carolina by Diamond Prospects

College career
Montgomery enrolled at the University of South Carolina and played college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team. He was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on April 9, 2012, and a Freshman All-American. He earned the nickname "Gumby" in college after a senior baseball player used it to make fun of his long limbs and lack of coordination.

Draft and minor leagues
The New York Yankees selected Montgomery in the fourth round, with the 122nd overall selection, of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Yankees, receiving a $424,000 signing bonus. He pitched for the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and the Staten Island Yankees of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League, pitching to a 1–1 win–loss record with a 3.79 earned run average (ERA) in 19 innings pitched, as the Yankees limited his workload after the college season. In 2015, he began the season with for the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class A South Atlantic League. The Yankees promoted him to the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League in June.

Montgomery began the 2016 season with the Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League and was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA International League in August. He pitched in the Triple-A National Championship Game, earning the win.

Montgomery received a non-roster invitation to spring training in 2017, and competed for a job in their Opening Day starting rotation.

New York Yankees (2017–2022)
After starting the season at Triple-A for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees promoted Montgomery to the major leagues on April 12, 2017. In his major league debut against the Tampa Bay Rays, Montgomery received a no-decision as he allowed three runs (two earned) in $4 2/3$ innings, striking out seven. On April 17, in his second major league start, Montgomery earned his first major league win against the Chicago White Sox. On June 9 against the Baltimore Orioles, Montgomery pitched a career-high seven innings and struck out a career-high eight batters. Montgomery tied those same career highs in a June 26 start against the White Sox. Prior to the All-Star Break, Montgomery pitched to a 3.65 ERA, striking out 87 batters in $91 1/3$ innings. On July 25, against the Cincinnati Reds, Montgomery took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Scott Schebler hit a double to break up the bid. On August 6, he was optioned to Triple-A. He was recalled on August 11 after CC Sabathia suffered a knee injury. On August 12, Montgomery was struck in the head by an errant foul ball during batting practice while signing autographs prior to the game; he was not seriously hurt. In 29 starts in 2017, Montgomery finished with a 9–7 record and a 3.88 ERA.

On May 1, 2018, Montgomery left a game against the Houston Astros after one inning due to elbow tightness. He went on the disabled list the next day with a flexor strain and he would miss six to eight weeks. However, on June 5, it was announced that Montgomery tore his ulnar collateral ligament while throwing on flat ground during rehab a few days prior and would undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season. In six starts in 2018, Montgomery finished with a 2–0 record and a 3.62 ERA.

Montgomery started the 2019 season on the 60-day injured list while still recovering from the previous season's surgery. He returned to the Yankees on September 15. In 2020, Montgomery pitched to a 5.11 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched, while on defense he led all AL pitchers in errors, with three. In 2021, Montgomery had a 6–7 record and 3.83 ERA in $157 1/3$ innings.

St. Louis Cardinals (2022–2023)
The Yankees traded Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals for Harrison Bader and a player to be named later or cash considerations on August 2, 2022. He made his Cardinal debut on August 6, throwing five scoreless innings before being taken out due to cramping caused by dehydration, versus the Yankees in a 1–0 win for the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. On August 22, 2022, Montgomery pitched his first complete game in the major leagues, a one-hit, 99-pitch Maddux against the Chicago Cubs. He finished the 2022 season with a 9–6 record and a 3.48 ERA in 32 games started. The Cardinals qualified for the 2022 MLB postseason and Montgomery pitched in relief for the Cardinals in Game 2 of the 2022 NL Wild Card Series, as the Philadelphia Phillies swept the Cardinals, two games to none.

On January 13, 2023, Montgomery agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract with the Cardinals, avoiding salary arbitration. He had a 6–9 record and a 3.42 ERA in 21 starts for the Cardinals.

Texas Rangers (2023)
On July 30, 2023, the Cardinals traded Montgomery and Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers in exchange for John King, Tekoah Roby, and Thomas Saggese. He wore uniform number 52 to honor former teammate CC Sabathia. Montgomery started 11 games for the Rangers, pitching to a 2.79 ERA. For the regular season, Montgomery set career-highs with 10 wins, a 3.20 ERA, 166 strikeouts, and $188 2/3$ innings pitched.

The Rangers made the 2023 MLB postseason and Montgomery started Game 1 of the 2023 American League Wild Card Series. On November 1, Montgomery won the first World Series championship of his career. It was also the first World Series victory in Rangers franchise history. Montgomery had a 2.90 ERA in 31 innings in the postseason.

Arizona Diamondbacks (2024–present)
On March 29, 2024, Montgomery signed a one-year, $25 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks that included a $20 million vesting player option for the 2025 season. He was optioned to Triple-A Reno Aces to begin the season. On April 11, Montgomery fired his agent, Scott Boras.

Personal life
Montgomery has two older brothers. He met his wife, Mckenzie ( Dirr), in 2017 when they were introduced by a teammate of Montgomery's. They married in December 2022. She studied medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.