51s catcher Johnny Monell’s hot streak could reignite big league hopes

Johnny Monell was never a top prospect.

The 51s catcher was selected in the 30th round of the 2007 draft by the San Francisco Giants and made his major league debut six years later, when he had eight at-bats. He has played for 13 teams in his professional career and hit over .300 only once in nine seasons.

But now, Monell is going through a hot streak like few hitters do, and the hope of him playing in the major leagues again is not as dim as it may appear for a 30-year-old catcher as the 51s open a three-game series with the Albuquerque Isotopes on Thursday at Cashman Field.

“He’s always been able to hit,” Las Vegas manager Wally Backman said. “In today’s game with the lack of offensive-hitting catchers, I would think that a guy like Johnny still has a future, even if it’s just a backup role.”

Monell leads a prolific 51s offense with 14 home runs entering play Wednesday, good for second in the Pacific Coast League among catchers. He is second among qualified hitters with a .537 slugging percentage, and his .304 average is the highest it has been since the fourth game of the season.

After a slow start to the season, he is riding a nine-game hitting streak in which he has hit .441 with a gaudy .941 slugging percentage. He has five home runs in those nine games, 12 runs and 14 RBIs.

“Just being able to make my adjustments from the first month of the season and not to panic,” Monell said. “I’ve been in that situation before of not starting out well, and I have a good track record of being a good offensive player.”

Monell has twice appeared in the major leagues, in 2015 with the Giants and last season with the New York Mets. He has 61 career MLB plate appearances, which, as hitting coach Jack Voigt said, is tough on a hitter trying to make it at that level.

“You can have a lot of power in the minor leagues because you’re getting daily at-bats and you’re in the lineup,” Voigt said. “Depending what the role is in the major league level, if you’re a bench guy, if you’re only going to play twice a week, things like that, you’re not keeping that same consistency.

“You have to find ways to keep your rhythm and timing without tinkering too much with your swing when you’re not in the lineup.”

If someone told Voigt at the beginning of the season that Monell would be leading the team in homers in the first week of July, he would not have been surprised. Monell’s power is legitimate, and even in the hitters’ haven that is Cashman Field, what Monell is doing is impressive.

“He’s more consistent doing the correct thing now,” Voigt said. “Right now, when he’s getting pitch to hit, he’s not missing it.”

Monell is not on the Mets’ 40-man roster. If New York catcher Travis d’Arnaud gets hurt or the Mets have a need for a catcher, it most likely will be Kevin Plawecki who gets the call from Las Vegas.

Backman has started playing Monell at first base on occasion to get him some versatility in case the Mets or another team need someone, but in all likelihood, it will be Monell’s bat behind the plate that will get him to the majors. While it is apples and oranges to compare the majors and the minors, no major league catcher has as many home runs as Monell, and only Wilson Ramos of the Washington Nationals can match his slugging percentage.

Whether he gets the call this season when rosters expand or latches on elsewhere in free agency this offseason when his contract expires, one thing is for sure: Monell can hit.

“I’m having fun right now,” Monell said. “Trust your craft, trust the work you put in and just being able to let it happen.”

Justin Emerson can be reached at jemerson@reviewjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @J15Emerson