Michael Arroyo teased he can be an elite hitter, but how does he fit on Mariners?

Lazaro Montes might have won his third consecutive Ken Griffey Jr. Hitter of the Year award (this time sharing it with Jarvis Gomez), but there's a case to be made that Michael Arroyo is just as good. MLB Pipeline certainly seems to think so, ranking Arroyo as the better prospect at No. 41 while placing Montes at No. 53. However, while Montes seems to have a path moving forward with the Mariners, things aren't quite as clear with Arroyo.

Yes, Montes is the more powerful and explosive hitter of the two, with an almost violent swing that is the baseball equivalent of the ferocious dunks Shawn Kemp used to "reign" down regularly on opponents at the then-Key Arena. However, Arroyo has better consistency when it comes to making actual contact with the ball, resulting in him being the more effective of the duo when they got called up in September.

How effective? What about hitting .371 with a .953 OPS and 175 OPS+. Sure it was only 41 plate appearances spread over 15 games, but it still made for intriguing viewing. The guy's plate discipline continues to impress and improve as he matures, while his overall metrics at the plate were good, albeit again acknowledging it's early days at the major league level.

Michael Arroyo's defense is as unnerving as his bat offers confidence

Which brings us back to wondering what's in store for Arroyo? In theory he's on to a winner in Seattle, given ownership's stance on payroll. Plenty of people are understandably concerned about Randy Arozarena being all but gone. However, John Stanton explained recently that they would rather develop and invest in young players instead of paying big money for stars who are now in their 30s.

And yet, despite the Mariners' commitment to young players in general and Arroyo's encouraging development specifically, he isn't necessarily guaranteed a starting spot. Factoring in the pending lockout and how long it last, FanGraphs don't have the 21-year-old in the Mariners' 2027 lineup. (And keep in mind this was before the M's announced he underwent an elbow scope procedure on Wednesday, which will keep him out of action until April.)

So, what's the problem?

Just after Arroyo's call-up to the Mariners, we noted the uncertainty surrounding his defensive issues or lack thereof. Despite being used mostly as a second baseman in the minors, he just didn't show the type of glove work to sell his credentials there. Not that it would have mattered ultimately, given that Cole Young has secured himself as the long-term solution at the position.

Michael Arroyo has as much potential to be a headache or a success story

As such, the Mariners decided to move Arroyo to left field for the majority of his time in Tacoma. Unfortunately though, even with this position change it was still seemingly impossible to find anyone who was bullish on his defense. It was particularly damning, when Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, said one NL scout described the Colombia native as looking like an infielder trying to play left field. *Ouch!*

In fairness, the scout also said if a player can become at least average defensively, this is acceptable if paired with the ability to hit in the majors. And if the early returns are anything to go by, Arroyo is showing promise in this regard. Let's also keep in mind FanGraphs' 2027 depth chart has Luke Raley projected to start in left field, but there's plenty of indication he won't be back in Seattle next year.

So, pending Raley leaving, this could open the door to roll with Arroyo in left field after he comes back from rehab and hope his bat overshadows any lack of legitimate improvement with the glove. Or is it a case where the Mariners are uncertain enough, that they'll be tempted to trade him, knowing there will be interest in their top-rated hitting prospect?

Arroyo has proven the critics wrong before and has the mental fortitude to do it again, but he's the one guy on the roster where we genuinely don't know what the right call is.

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