Mariners' power prospect Lazaro Montes could be 'All-or-Nothing' at the MLB level
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Heading into the 2026 season, the sky's the limit for Seattle Mariners prospect Lazaro Montes. The 21-year-old has the potential to be a 30-homer hitter at the big-league level. And while he's definitely going to get his shot in Spring Training, he needs to make one major improvement in his game.
Montes may be tagged as a future star, but he will have to eliminate the holes in his swing and lessen his strikeout totals at some point if he's going to live up to the hype. Right now? He's an 'all-or nothing' free swinger who had a total of 131 strikeouts across 583 plate appearances in 2025, giving him a strikeout rate of about 22.5% in 2025. His batting average was just .241, but he hit 32 home runs and had 89 RBI.
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In the early stages of his career, Montes currently projects be an everyday player with 100+ whiffs a year. That could eventually force the Mariners to make a decision on whether he becomes a bargaining chip this season near the trade deadline. But the hope is he will merely cut down on the K's
Montes is considered almost untouchable
With that being stated, Montes remains highly-regarded by Seattle management. And, his overall performance earned him the club's Ken Griffey Jr. Hitter of the Year award for the third consecutive year. So, it seems that the M's think they can work Montes through his biggest weakness. So, despite some rumors that he might be moved this offseason, he'll stay put with Seattle for now.
“It’s never going to be perfect. You’re never going to have the team that you want to have in September in April,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander told Seattle Sports in late November. “Young players bring uncertainty over time, and giving them the runway to show who they can be, to prove that they can or can’t fill a role, and then being willing to go out and adjust along the way, I think is important.”
