THE PAST: This native of Venezuela originally signed by the New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent in 2006, but soon after that was traded to the Phillies as part of the deal that brought Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle to the Yankees. Monasterios pitched in Philadelphia’s minor-league system until 2010, when he was selected by the New York Mets in the Rule 5 draft and then traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Monasterios pitched in 32 games with the Dodgers in 2010, including 13 starts, and had a 3-5 record with a 4.38 ERA. He was sent to Triple-A Albuquerque in 2011 but made one start for the Isotopes before suffering an elbow injury; he eventually had Tommy John surgery and missed the rest of the season. Last season he was released by the Dodgers in spring training because of more arm problems; in March of 2012 he had surgery to relocate the ulna nerve of his pitching arm.
THE FUTURE: The biggest question surrounding Monasterios is his health, namely if the elbow injury has healed. If that is the case, he could become a starter or a reliever for the Mud Hens. His strongest pitches are a fastball and change-up, but he also throws a curveball and an occasional slider.
WORTH NOTING: Before Monasterios pitched for the Dodgers, he had just two games experience above the Hi-A level. … He has thrown a total of four innings since the 2010 season and has not pitched in a game since April 8, 2010.
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