The Seattle Mariners lineup has been one of the worst in baseball this season, but its pitching is carrying the team to the top of the AL West. While immediate upgrades to the Mariners lineup will have to come from the MLB trade deadline, there’s one very promising option for the future.
Entering the season, infielder Colt Emerson was rated as the top Mariners prospect by Keith Law of The Athletic while MLB.com listed infielder Cole Young No. 1 among the Mariners top prospects in 2024. However, both outlets agreed that outfielder Lazaro Montes didn’t belong among the club’s top three prospects.
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Law was one of the lowest in the industry on Montes. In his write-up, ranking Montes eighth among the Mariners top prospects, he said that Montes is a “below-average hitter” who likely couldn’t become the next Yordan Alvarez because he didn’t have Alvarez’s feel for hitting and because he chases too much. That perspective might be changing after this season.
Playing for the Modesto Nuts (Mariners’ Single-A team), the 19-year-old outfielder has been one of the most productive hitters in the minor leagues this season. Entering June 9, the 6-foot-3 outfielder owned the 8th-highest OPS (.984) with the sixth-highest wOBA (.455) among players with 200-plus plate appearances.
- Lazaro Montes stats: .332/.431/.553, .984 OPS, 115 total bases, 11 home runs, 11 doubles, 62 RBI
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This is also more than just one great month at the plate. In April, Montes posted a .280/388/.463 slash line with a .851 OPS, 131 wRC+, 3 home runs and 24 RBI in 82 at-bats. In May, the teenage outfielder slashed .369/.447/.602 with a 1.049 OPS, 176 wRC+, 6 home runs and 32 RBI.
In both months, he struck out in fewer than 20 percent of his plate appearances with a walk rate of over 13 percent. As for the first week of June, Montes recorded a 1.152 OPS with a higher walk rate (21.9 percent) than his strikeout rate (12.5 percent) and he has 2 home runs. At that same age, Alvarez was playing Rookie ball.
- Lazaro Montes FanGraphs stats: 162 wRC+, .455 wOBA, 17% K-rate, 14.6% BB rate, .221 isolated power
There was some belief within the industry that Montes’ potential could make him one of the best MLB prospects in 2025. He’s backed up those projections this season and with the tear he’s on right now, a promotion up a level is likely in his future. He might not help the Mariners lineup in 2024, but he is someone Seattle should be very excited about long-term.
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