1 compelling storyline for each Seattle Mariners prospect in 2025 Futures Game

The Seattle Mariners will be well-represented at the Futures Game on Saturday, with outfielder Lazaro Montes, catcher Harry Ford, and switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje set to do their best for the American League squad at Truist Park.

This trio represents but a third of the nine prospects that the Mariners have within MLB Pipeline's top 100, with Montes checking in at No. 29, Ford at No. 56, and Cijntje at No. 79. Each of the three is smack in the middle of a star-making season in the minors, and have thus earned their chance to go out and impress a much wider audience this weekend.

So, there. Now you know the basics. But if you really want a compelling reason to tune in to watch all three on Saturday, we'll do you one better and give you one for each.

1 reason to watch the three Mariners prospects in the Futures Game

For Lazaro Montes: There's a good chance of him hitting an absolute tank

The longest home run ever hit at Truist Park is a 495-foot shot off the bat of Ronald Acuña Jr. from 2020. It's one of only 12 long balls of at least 495 feet in the Statcast era, so chances of it being beat by anybody in the near future are slim.

Still, don't rule Montes out.

The 20-year-old co-leads the minor leagues with 23 home runs, with the first 18 coming for High-A Everett and the next five coming for Double-A Arkansas. This is the 6-foot-5, 210-pounder making good on his longstanding comp to Yordan Alvarez, and we know for a fact that he can slug the ball at least 475 feet.

There is also some swing-and-miss in Montes' game, so a strikeout or two can't be ruled out either. But if he gets a hold of one, it could do for his reputation what Adam Dunn's moonshot of a homer at the 2001 Futures Game (in Seattle, by the way) did for his.

For Harry Ford: This could be his only moment in the sun as a Mariner

In his defense, Ford deserves to be talked about as one of the most exciting prospects in baseball right now.

An uncommonly athletic catcher with elite plate discipline and budding power? Yeah, sounds like a humdinger. And the 22-year-old has been on a heater since the start of May, batting .320/.415/.505 with 42 RBI in 50 games for Triple-A Tacoma.

And yet, the real question on the minds of MLB fans and executives alike is whether Ford is long for the Mariners organization. He is oft-cited as an obvious trade chip, and there's more than one reason for why it's hard to push back on the notion. He is looking up at Cal Raleigh, after all, and therefore is more expendable than most prospects as the Mariners speed toward the July 31 trade deadline.

And by all accounts, they're not going to pull any punches in their search for upgrades.

For Jurrangelo Cijntje: Will he pitch (and succeed) with both hands?

There have been switch-pitchers in MLB before, including Pat Venditte as recently as 2020. But he was essentially a novelty act, whereas the Mariners are hoping that Cijntje is the real deal.

They drafted him as a switch-pitcher and have allowed him to remain as such in his first season of pro ball. The 22-year-old out of the Netherlands has at times been a human highlight reel, notably in racking up 63 strikeouts in 56.1 innings for High-A Everett with help from a fastball that has gotten as high as 101 from the right side.

The catch, though, is that Cijntje has gotten absolutely creamed when pitching as a lefty this season. Righties and lefties alike have gotten to him for an OPS over 1.200 when he goes southpaw, in part because he's walked 16 of the 44 batters he's faced.

It'll certainly make for a cool headline if Cijntje gets batters out as both a righty and a lefty in the Futures Game. But if his left arm fails him, well, don't say we didn't warn you.