Mariners' super-slugger in minors is suddenly quieting fans' worst fears

It has been quite the year of progress for the Seattle Mariners' No. 3 prospect. After wiping the floor with the competition in High-A, Lazaro Montes was rightfully promoted to Double-A Arkansas at the end of June. There was a bit of a learning curve and he struggled to adapt to the higher level of competition at first, but now that he has 200 plate appearances under his belt, the numbers confirm that he belongs at this level.

Lazaro Montes has started to put up outstanding numbers with Double-A Arkansas

Across the month of August, Montes has posted a 141 wRC+ and his power — for which he has received endless praise from scouts — is back on display, resulting in eight home runs and a .543 slugging percentage for the month.

This brings him to a cumulative 136 wRC+ at Double-A with 14 home runs, and his 32 minor league home runs are tied with New York Yankees prospect Spencer Jones for the most of any minor leaguer this year.

Of course, there are still some kinks for Lazaro Montes to iron out before he reaches his full potential as a top prospect. He has very much leaned into being a three true outcome player since joining Double-A, walking 12.8 percent of the time while striking out at a 31.5 percent clip with just a .218 batting average. Although his natural power is a valuable tool, more advanced pitchers will pick him apart if he isn't able to adapt his approach.

A closer look at his more advanced plate discipline metrics highlight two seemingly contradictory problems. At first glance, his 59.0 contact rate and 19.8 swinging strike rate both suggest that he has a big whiff problem but at the same time, his 48.2 swing rate seems to point to a problem with being too passive at the plate.

Despite his flaws, he has clearly shown that he can hang at the higher levels of the minors before he has even turned 21 years old. The Mariners have already seen positive results from calling up one of their top prospects, and Montes could be the next to debut if he keeps up the good work.

With his teammates and coaching staff continuing to laud his presence on and off the field, Montes has a bright future and could potentially serve as the next face of the franchise. Whether he's the missing piece that can finally elevate the Mariners to contender status remains to be seen but what is certain is that Seattle has a player with a special skillset on their hands.