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You may remember that last month’s edition of Minor League Monthly profiled Mark Montgomery, who the Yankees drafted in the 11th round (No. 359 overall) of the 2011 MLB Draft. In that profile, it was mentioned how Montgomery had been a stopper in Tampa’s bullpen early on, and how his career 15.1 K/9 mark drew him comparison to David Robertson.

Since then, the right-hander has only gotten better, and he was rewarded for his first-half efforts with an invite to the 2012 Florida State League All-Star Game.

Montgomery, who on June 1 was named to the North Team for June 16’s FSL All-Star Game, recorded a 2-0, 0.50 line with six saves and 31 strikeouts in 18.0 innings pitched in the final six weeks before the break – a line made even more impressive when you figure in that he worked multiple innings in five of his last 10 appearances.

Overall, the former Longwood College star is 4-1 with a 1.19 ERA, nine saves, and 48 strikeouts as of the FSL All-Star break, and now has a career K/9 mark of 15.2 – more than a full fanning ahead of the impressive 13.8 ratio Robertson has put up since the beginning of 2011.

With those numbers and an All-Star berth in tow, Montgomery could soon be headed for a promotion to Double-A Trenton – certainly an impressive rise for a man who on June 16 of last year was barely 10 days into his professional career.

Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroYES