Mariners' next great slugger is officially on the map after winning MiLB MVP award

Plenty of the Mariners minor-leaguers had great seasons. Of the nine names already on MLB's list of Top 100 prospects, most of them played well enough to push their stock even higher. However, few had as successful of a season as Lazaro Montes, the organization's No. 3 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 28 prospect overall. With an even split between High-A and Double-A, he managed an impressive 136 wRC+ for the season while hitting 32 home runs and collecting 89 RBI.

All of this was enough for him to be named MVP of the Northwest League, where he spent time as part of the Everett AquaSox. His 150 wRC+ at the level of the minors made him a force to be reckoned with and he had an on-base percentage of .387 while slugging .572 over 301 plate appearances.

After laying waste to the opposition, Montes was promoted to Double-A. Despite the jump in competition, he still managed to hit 14 home runs, nearly as many as he did in High-A. It took him some time to adjust, but he proved that his top-tier power is still a viable tool against higher levels of pitching.

Lazaro Montes should be firmly in Mariners' plans after breakout season

Interestingly enough, despite his positive results, Montes still isn't viewed as favorably as Colt Emerson on some prospect lists. Part of that is due to Emerson having a strong year himself, and the other part is due to how uneven Lazaro's game still is.

His slash line became even more lopsided in Double-A, where he struck out 30.5 percent of the time while walking just 12.4 percent of the time. He also had a contact rate of just 60.3 and a swinging strike rate of 19.0, steps in the wrong direction compared to his numbers in High-A earlier in the year. What Emerson lacks in raw pop, he makes up for with excellent pure hitting abilities and great defense at shortstop, a premium position.

Like many sluggers, chasing the long ball can often expose holes in one's game. And as Montes faces more experienced and skilled pitching, the margin for error will grow thinner and thinner. But that's what being a prospect is all about — fixing weaknesses and leaning into strengths.

Montes has a listed ETA of 2026, which may be a little optimistic, especially given how much talent is in Seattle's outfield. But even if he doesn't get the call, it could serve as a crucial inflection point in his baseball career. Will he continue to pursue home runs at the cost of his other tools? Or will he aim to balance his approach while still allowing his natural power at the plate to flourish?

So far, his sheer talent has been enough to put him in the spotlight, but both his and the Mariners' futures will depend on his ability to keep improving and adapting.