Taylor Ward's Mariners collapse must open the door for MLB's hottest slugging prospect

When Taylor Ward was acquired at the trade deadline from the Orioles, he was perceived as someone who would help the Mariners, and understandably so. While he wasn't quite as 'flashy' as last season when he hit career-highs of 36 homers and 103 RBI with the Angels, he led the AL in walks and had a .839 OPS versus lefties. However, the reality is he has been an outright disaster in Seattle and the M's would do well to give Lazaro Montes a shot.

Mariners fans were hoping for an impact similar to what Josh Naylor provided, when he arrived from Arizona last July. Instead, Ward has looked more like the second coming of Rob Refsnyder, as a negative-bWAR player who's just 6-for-44 with four walks and no home runs, for a .390 OPS. And that's when he's been available, with him limited to 12 out of a possible 18 games due to leg soreness.

Meanwhile, Montes has been an absolute monster in the minors, as he has continued to show why he is the two-time reigning Ken Griffey Jr. Hitter of the Year. (He was also co-Co-Hitter of the Year in 2023.) The guy has been on absolute fire this season, having already racked up a career-high 37 home runs, including 12 since being promoted to Triple-A Tacoma. And he's only getting better with every passing month, with him so far producing a 1.140 OPS and 173 wRC+ in August:

We've been advocating for a while now that Montes deserves his chance in the majors, with shades of Kade Anderson in being held back longer than he should have been. However, the 21-year-old is perhaps the most polarizing top prospect in MLB, with MLB Pipeline only ranking him at No. 56 on their top 100 list. He has at times been seen as an all-or-nothing type of power hitter, with a lack of defensive skills helping lead towards a narrative as a one-trick pony.

Lazaro Montes developing into the more well-rounded hitter the Mariners could use

However, as much as Montes' almost violent power is still his calling card, he's now doing a much better job of making contact overall. After hitting .234 in Double-A Arkansas, he's at .286 in Tacoma, including .320 so far in August. And while he'll likely never be a top defender, he has done decently enough in the right outfield thanks to a strong arm.

On top of all this, we think Montes is underrated as an energy guy, who really gives his all in the field and on the basepaths. Goodness knows the Mariners could use this kind of vibe, like what Naylor provided last season, as they look to get their playoff challenge on track. Although we appreciate there's the pertinent question of how you fit the Cuba native into the roster?

If it was up to us, we'd designate Ward for assignment and also give Victor Robles more of a run as a right-handed bat and the fourth outfielder. However, we appreciate that in reality Ward likely isn't going anywhere, with the Mariners still hopeful he can rediscover him previous form. You're probably looking at a case where if Montes is going to get his shot, he'll be called up when rosters expand on Sept. 1, but we fear the M's are wasting valuable time not taking advantage of his hot bat right now.

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