Baseball America picks the wrong guy as Mariners' MiLB Player of the Year

Baseball America unveiled its Minor League Players of the Year for all 30 franchises on Monday, and they made the obvious choice for the Seattle Mariners. It's Lazaro Montes, who spent much of 2025 surrounded by a veritable cloud of hype.

The 20-year-old out of Cuba got off a red-hot start with High-A Everett, which eventually earned him a boost to Double-A Arkansas. All told, he played in 131 games and posted an .858 OPS, 136 wRC+ and 32 home runs, the most of any prospect who didn't rise above Double-A.

For Montes, there is something cathartic about ending the year with Baseball America singing his praises. This is the same publication that was iffy on him coming into 2025, to a point where he barely ranked in their top 100. By contrast, he was No. 34 in their most recent list.

But if nobody minds an unprovoked hot take, this honor really should have gone to Colt Emerson.

Baseball America whiffed by not naming Colt Emerson the Mariners' MiLB Player of the Year

In many ways, the year Emerson had was the inverse of the year Montes had. The 20-year-old out of Ohio began the year with ample hype, only to initially have some of shine wear off as he got off a cool start in April and May.

After that, though, his bat became more like a flaming sword. From the start of June through the end of the year, Emerson hit .304/.401/.501 with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 87 total games. That was across three levels, as he was bumped from Everett to Arkansas in August and then to Triple-A Tacoma after only 34 games at the Double-A level.

Though he was 7.8 years younger than the average player at Triple-A, Emerson improbably got hotter. In eight games with the Rainiers, he went 10-for-30 with two home runs.

Overall, Emerson was nearly as effective (130 wRC+) at the plate as Montes, who didn't help himself by posting a .752 OPS and 121 wRC+ with Arkansas. It wasn't all because of the pitcher-friendly Dickey-Stephens Park, as he fanned in 30.5 percent of his plate appearances with the Travelers.

Though Montes did make strides in right field, Emerson suddenly looked like a future Gold Glover at shortstop. He was a regular highlight reel on defense, particularly impressing with his range.

Emerson was already thought of as Seattle's No. 1 prospect, and now he's inching toward being the best prospect in the entire league. He's just outside the top 10 for Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, while ESPN has him at No. 7 overall.

Lest anyone think all of the above is about dunking on Montes, it's not. Sure, we can't help but wonder if Baseball America overcorrected for being down on him earlier in 2025. But when a 20-year-old shows that kind of power and looks that much like the next Yordan Alvarez, any instinct to elevate him is the right instinct.

Emerson, though, is a better prospect who had a better season. And now that he's on the doorstep to The Show, it's not too early to wonder when he might be seen in Seattle.