Slugging Seattle Mariners' Top Prospect Discusses Year as Minor League Season Wraps
EVERETT, Wash. — The Seattle Mariners Double-A affiliate Arkansas Travelers and Low-A affiliate Modesto Nuts will both play in postseason series later this week. But Sunday marked the end of the year for one of Seattle's two in-state farm teams — the High-A affiliate Everett AquaSox.
The AquaSox lost 9-2 to the Colorado Rockies High-A affiliate Spokane Indians. It was a disappointing end to a season that saw several Everett players take massive steps in their development.
But that's the name of the game in the minor leagues. Development. And in that regard, the AquaSox's season was a total success.
Laz Montes, a 2022 international signee out of Cuba, wrapped up his third season in the Mariners farm system on Sunday as one of the most hyped prospects in the organization.
Montes played a career-high 116 games this season (65 with Modesto, 51 with Everett). And put up some of the best numbers across the minor leagues with 21 home runs and 105 RBIs.
"It felt like it was an excellent year," Montes said via a translator before Sunday's game against the Indians. "Grateful to be playing alongside my teammates and stuff like that. Just very grateful. (I get to) keep playing professionally every day. I understand it. I just know that the moment's coming up. I'm just grateful for every moment that comes along."
Montes has had a very eventful season and showed some positive signs, especially when it came to his own growth.
Montes was promoted to the AquaSox on June 25 as hot as almost any prospect was in baseball at the time. He hit .309 in Modesto with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs.
In his first few games with Everett, it looked like Montes was going to keep putting up the same kind of insane numbers that he did with the Nuts. But he hit a rough patch in July.
Montes hit just .127 in 18 games in July with no home runs and four RBIs. He turned it around in August and ended up hitting .411 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs in 20 games.
Lazaro Montes cracks the top 3 on our weekly Hot Sheet
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) September 3, 2024
Since moving to High-A, the @Mariners prospect has hit eight home runs. Half of that total came within a period of roughly 26 hours this past weekhttps://t.co/GkOz1s7ErO pic.twitter.com/BEcCAx7H1a
"Since I've started my professional career, I understand that there's going to be high moments and low moments," Montes said. "There's always ups-and-downs within the game. So, within those moments I've learned to just understand and trust the process. Understand what I'm doing and having confidence in the work that I'm doing every single day. Even when those moments happen they're going to turn around and that's just part of the game.
"So it's just understanding that and confiding in those things. ... Nothing changed (from July to August). Just continuing to be faithful. ... Just trusting in the abilities that I have and that the confidence is going to be there. Allow my confidence to take place and the rest will take care of itself."
Montes is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Seattle's farm system and the No. 47 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He was viewed as one of the crown jewels of the 2022 international signing period. He's also become a fan favorite as more M's fans learn of his name and skillset.
Montes has noticed the fan support and appreciates it, but also understands what it means to be a player fans look up to. He's only 19 years-old. He's just a few years removed from sitting in his home in Cuba having his own set of favorite players he aspired to be like.
"I understand that at one point I was a fan, as well," Montes said. "And (I know) what it was like in those moments to look up to big-leaguers. So being able to be in that moment — I'm excited. I love the energy that everybody brings and I just want to pass that stuff over. I want to be able to share it with the fans, share the moments, be a high-energy guy and continue to play that type of baseball. That type of game."
"High-energy" is a key phrase there.
It's easy to pick up on how much Montes loves to play the game of baseball and the excitement and energy he brings to the game every day. It's a kind of energy not unlike what current Mariners outfielder Victor Robles has brought to the team since the team signed him in the beginning of the June.
Montes has been sharing that energy with his teammates all season. Including two fellow 19 year-olds and top 100 prospects Colt Emerson and Michael Arroyo.
"It's nice to have those guys," Montes said. "It's all people with the same plan and the same goal. Everyone likes to compete. You compete everywhere. You compete in the locker room, you compete on the field. You look to do all the same thing. And it's nice to have people with the same goal. Just makes it a little bit easier."
Montes is projected for a 2026 call-up according to MLB Pipeline. But his play this season has undoubtedly earned him a spring training invite next year.
"Moving forward, it's just continuing on everything I've learned up to this point," Montes said. "When it comes to this game, it's 90% mental. So it's just understanding I got to stay right in that mindset. And then the other 10% — keeping myself ready physically. Continuing to attack the goals that keep getting thrown at me, working the right way. And when it comes to next year — continuing with the same mentality. The goal is always to make it to the major leagues, so that's the plan."
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EMERSON COMMENTS ON LATEST SEASON WITH AQUASOX: The Seattle Mariners No. 1 overall prospect Colt Emerson is meeting all expectations despite a few injury setbacks during the season. He spoke with Mariners on SI on Sunday. CLICK HERE
ARROYO COMMENTS ON IMPRESSIVE YEAR IN EVERETT: Power-hitting Seattle Mariners prospect Michael Arroyo spoke before Sunday's minor league season finale between the Everett AquaSox and the Spokane Indians about the 2024 season, his development and more. CLICK HERE
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