Road to The Show™: Mariners’ Montes

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at fourth-ranked Mariners prospect Lazaro Montes. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.

Lazaro Montes fits the mold of the large, uber-powerful young slugger that’s becoming more common around the game.

The Mariners’ No. 4 prospect had a ferocious start to his first full season with Single-A Modesto before being promoted to High-A Everett last week. In 71 games across both levels, Montes leads all Minor Leaguers with 77 RBIs while batting .313/.412/.530 with 14 homers and 15 doubles.

The 19-year-old’s success can be tied directly to his reduced strikeout rate, which is just under 20 percent.

Defensively, Montes has played exclusively in the corner outfield, with most of his playing time coming in right. Scouts believe he’s likely to make a future home at first base. Regardless, his bat and his power will keep him in the lineup.

At the start of the season, Montes was one of only six prospects ranked by MLB Pipeline with a power grade of 65 or better. In his amateur days, Montes drew comparisons to fellow hulking Cuban slugger Yordan Alvarez. That resemblance has not waned through Montes’ early years of pro ball.

Montes, who was the third-highest riser in MLB Pipeline's latest re-rank, climbing from No. 80 to No. 53, consistently produces exit velocities of more than 110 mph, and he figures to only get bigger and stronger as he matures.

“[He's] a big dude that, when he gets to the big leagues, he will be a fan favorite, there’s no question about it,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told MLB.com in March. “He's got big-time ability, but he's got the personality to match up with it.”

The native of Havana impressed with his size and in-game power at an early age. Before he was eligible to sign, he moved with his family to the Dominican Republic and worked with hitting instructor Aldo Marrero, who also trained Alvarez as an amateur.

MLB Pipeline ranked Montes as the No. 8 prospect in the 2021-22 International class. He eventually signed with Seattle for a $2.5 million bonus in January.

Montes made his pro debut later that year in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. Over 56 games, he batted .284/.422/.585 with 10 homers, 13 doubles, five triples, 41 RBIs and 34 runs scored. Montes proved to be a dangerous power presence in the middle of the order, but his overall production, though still quite impressive, was limited by his 33 percent strikeout rate.

Rather than sending top prospects to instructional leagues in the offseason, the Mariners host a camp that prioritizes nutrition and conditioning. The club told MLB.com in March that this is where they believe Montes made the necessary changes that led to his breakout 2023 season.

The Mariners even had enough confidence in Montes, who was just 18 years old at the time, to give him a two-game stint in the Cactus League.

Montes opened the season in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League in June. Over 37 games, he batted .282 with a 1.007 OPS, 17 extra-base hits, including six homers, and 31 RBIs. He joined a talented Modesto squad in August and was instrumental to the Nuts’ title run. He finished the regular season batting .321/.430/.565 with 17 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs. Montes carried an on-base streak into the California League playoffs that would eventually reach 15 games by the time the Nuts swept the championship series against Rancho Cucamonga.

The Mariners named Montes their Ken Griffey Jr. Co-Hitter of the Year, an honor that he shared with infielder Jake Scheiner.

Montes returned to big league Spring Training for eight games before the start of the season. He collected three hits, including a two-run triple, in nine total at-bats. Montes was one of the most exciting prospects to watch at the Mariners’ Spring Breakout game against the Padres, during which he drew a pair of walks and scored both times he reached base.

He returned to Modesto for the start of the regular season and continued to wreak havoc on the California League. At the time of his promotion on June 25, Montes led the circuit in homers (13), RBIs (72), slugging (.527), OPS (.938), total hits (79), extra-base hits (28) and total bases (135). He ranked second among qualifiers in batting (.309), third in on-base percentage (.411) and fifth in runs scored (46).

Perhaps most importantly, his strikeout rate at Modesto dropped to 19 percent.

Alongside Montes on the climb up to Everett was Michael Arroyo, a fellow member of Montes’ signing class who was second to Montes on the California League leaderboard in homers, RBIs, extra-base hits and total bases. Arroyo, an infielder from Colombia, signed with Seattle for $1,375,000.

The move to promote the duo together was similar to one the Mariners pulled off last July, when the club promoted Cole Young – now the club’s top prospect – to Everett alongside Gabriel Gonzalez, who was Seattle’s No. 3 prospect at the time.

Montes is still swinging a hot bat after the promotion, recording a hit in each of his first six games with the AquaSox, including his first homer on Saturday. But he’s also struck out eight times in his first 25 at-bats.

At this pace, Montes certainly seems like he’ll be up for some awards at the end of the year and may even be able to push to Double-A Arkansas before season’s end.