After reading that headline, pick yourself off the floor and read what needs to be said. Jesús Montero will have his best year as a professional in 2015. No, this writer is not delusional. It is just how the writer truly feels. 

Montero was traded from the New York Yankees to the Seattle Mariners with Héctor Noesí for Michael Pineda and José Campos. Noesí is no longer with the team and Pineda has been troubled with shoulder issues while in New York. At the time of the trade many pundits believed it was a blockbuster trade for the Mariners. It has not worked out that way for either side so far.

Jesús was the opening day designated hitter and split time between catcher and designated hitter during the 2012 season. He played in 135 games that year and hit .260 with 15 homeruns and 62 RBIs in 553 plate appearances. To date, that has been his best year as a professional. The 2013 season did not begin well for Montero has he struggled in his first 29 games with the team. On May 23, 2013 Montero was sent down to Triple-A and while with the Tacoma Rainiers, he played first base for the first time in his career. That moved appeared to end his career has a catcher in the big leagues.

It was announced on June 1 of 2013 that Montero had a torn meniscus in his left knee and would be out four to six weeks to recover. It only got worse from their for Jesús as on August 5, 2013 he was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for his involvement in the Biogenesis Scandal. That ended his 2013 MLB season and had many Mariner fans wondering what the heck is going on with this kid.

The start of the 2014 MLB season was not good for Montero yet again. He arrived at spring training 40 pounds overweight. The club asked for Montero to report at 235 pounds and he came in at 275 pounds. At that point the Mariners front office was not happy at all with his decision not take the offseason seriously.

“We are disappointed in how he came in physically,” Zduriencik said bluntly. “It’s up to him. I have zero expectations for Jesus Montero. Any expectations I had are gone. He’s got a ton to prove. It’s all on him.”

He spent the majority of the 2014 season in the minors and it all came to a head in August after he was involved in a heated confrontation in the stands with a team scout during a minor league game in Boise, Idaho. The altercation occurred during Montero's rehabilitation of an injury with the team's Class-A Everett AquaSox affiliate. According to MilB.com, Montero was coaching first base when Butch Baccala yelled at him to hustle off the field at the conclusion of the inning. A game official said the scout then ordered an ice cream sandwich and had it sent to Montero in the dugout.

The Mariners shut him down for the season and were obviously not pleased with his actions. "He is not going to participate in anymore baseball the rest of the year with us," Zduriencik said. "That's just the way it is. It's not going to happen." "First off, it is clear that both Jesus Montero and Butch Baccala engaged in behavior that is far below what we expect from members of our organization, including bad judgment at nearly every stage of this incident,"

After all of this, you must be asking how will 2015 be Montero's break out season. First off, he got serious in the offseason and shed the weight. Granted it is a year late, but he is down to the 235 pounds the organization wanted him to be at in 2014. Montero also knows that this might very well be his final chance to ever play at the highest level of baseball in the world. He won't be catching for the Mariners, so let’s hope he fine-tuned his skills at first base. One can also hope he learned how to hit left handers as well. If he was able to all of that in the offseason, he can be a very vital piece coming off the bench.

One last reason why this will be his break out year, he's matured. Some of you may roll your eyes at that notion, but it's true. He's always had the skill set to play at the highest level, but he's never had the maturity to stay at this level. Things change as a player gets older and matures. You realize that you can't take things for granted anymore and that you must be serious in all aspects of the game to survive. Montero has finally reached that stage in his life and will be a vital cog in the Mariners making the post season for the first time since 2001. Yup, you read that correctly. The Seattle Mariners will make the 2015 MLB Playoffs.