Lazaro Montes is Mashing 17 Dingers and Mariners Fans Should Be Absolutely Hyped

Holy smokes, M's fans, you gotta hear about what's cooking down in Double-A! Our boy Lazaro Montes, the slugging outfield prospect, is absolutely on fire. We're talking five home runs in his last six games for the Arkansas Travelers! This kid is not just hot, he's molten lava, and the rest of the minor leagues is starting to take notice. It's time to get excited, because the future is looking bright for the Emerald City!

This Kid's Power is NO Joke

Montes has been an absolute beast this season, blasting 17 home runs in just 55 games with Arkansas. That's good enough for second-most in the entire Texas League and tied for seventh across all of minor league baseball! The 21-year-old Cuban native is putting up a ridiculous .235/.345/.540 slash line, giving him a .885 OPS that screams "future power hitter."

And check this out, in that six-game series at Corpus Christi this past week, Montes went 10 for 25 with those five homers and even tacked on a double, capped by a three-hit night on Sunday. He's known for his big-time power, which is why he's already ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 27 overall prospect and Baseball America’s No. 57 overall prospect. Remember last season? This 6-foot-5 lefty slugger finished fourth in the entire minor leagues with 32 home runs between High-A Everett and Arkansas. He even hit a towering 475-foot blast back in June 2025! Lazaro Montes is for real, folks.

The Road Warrior vs. Home Struggles

Now, here's where it gets interesting, and frankly, a little weird. Montes has some wild home/road splits this season. When he's on the road, our guy is hitting a phenomenal .318 with 14 homers and a ridiculous 1.206 OPS in 27 games. That's big league stuff right there!

But when he's playing at home in Arkansas? He's only batting .140 with three homers and a .515 OPS. What gives? Turns out, Arkansas' Dickey-Stephens Park is actually the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in the Texas League, according to Baseball America’s ballpark factors. Corpus Christi’s Whataburger Field, where he just tore it up, is about league-average. So it sounds like he's crushing it pretty much everywhere else, which should make us feel good about his bat coming to T-Mobile Park eventually. He just needs to figure out how to hit in a tough home environment, and we know he has the talent to do it.

While Montes is tearing it up, our big league club is battling through some tough ones. The Mariners just dropped a heartbreaker, a 5-4 walk-off loss to the Tigers. Even with Cal Raleigh back in his first rehab game, we need all the firepower we can get. Seeing Montes do this gives you hope. Keep an eye on this kid, because if he keeps this up, he won't be in Double-A for long. Let's go, M's!

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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.