Baseball America Ranks Lazaro Montes as Seattle Mariners No. 7 Prospect
The Seattle Mariners farm system took significant steps during the 2024 season and got even better with additions from the 2024 draft.
By the end of the season, the Mariners went from being perceived as having a bottom-third farm system in MLB to having one of the best. They had eight prospects in Baseball America's top 100, the most from any club, and had five in MLB Pipeline's top 100.
Seattle also selected intriguing prospects such as Mississippi State switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and 6-foot-4 prep pitching prospect Ryan Sloan with their first two picks in the draft. Both those players have the potential to be top 100 prospects in the future. But one of the top minor leaguers in the Mariners' system, and all of baseball, is outfielder Lazaro Montes.
Montes earned several honors for his stellar 2024 that saw him end the season with the organization's High-A affiliate, the Everett AquaSox. He earned Seattle's minor league Hitter of the Year award, was named the California League's Player of the Year for his time with the club's Low-A team, the Modesto Nuts, and was named the Mariners' co-Prospect of the Year by MLB Pipeline.
Baseball America recently released their updated top 10 organization prospects list. And, surprisingly, Montes came in as the No. 7 player in the farm.
The publication had the following scouting report on Montes in their latest list:
Montes’ calling card is his power, and he knows it. He swings hard every time, with a back shoulder tilt and uphill plane that indicates his intent to hit balls to the moon. As a teenager, he already posts exit velocities that dwarf many big leaguers. Montes has trouble at times making contact, and his strikeout rate ballooned after his midseason promotion to High-A Everett in 2024. He is willing to take a walk, and pitchers tend to pitch around him, leaving optimism that he will continue to sport a double-digit walk rate as he climbs levels. Montes is a virtual non-factor on the bases, largely due to his incredibly poor acceleration, though his top end speed on a straight line isn’t terrible. He did make some strides in the outfield in 2024, though his most likely outcome is still as a DH, with some right field and first base outcomes as possibilities. Montes does not track balls well, nor take good routes, and he will always be a clunky play finisher. He charges ground balls extremely well, allowing his average arm to play up when he’s coming in on hits to the outfield.
Montes finished 2024 with a batting average of .288 to go with 21 home runs and 105 RBIs in 116 games played. After his promotion to Everett, he hit .260 with eight homers and 33 RBIs in 55 games.
Montes struggled in his first month with the AquaSox and batted just .127 in July before bouncing back with a .411 average in August.
Lazaro Montes does it again!! That’s back-to-back games with 2 home runs. pic.twitter.com/8JVqQHhy1P
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 31, 2024
Barring a drop-off in production or a stall in his development, Montes is likely to continue to factor into many outlets' top 100 prospects list. He's regarded as the best power-hitting prospect in the Mariners' minor leagues.
Baseball America predicts Montes to split his time in 2025 with Everett and the team's Double-A club, the Arkansas Travelers. He's projected for a 2026 call-up according to MLB Pipeline.
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