Baseball America unveiled its Minor League Players of the Year for all 30 franchises on Monday, and they made the obvious choice for the Seattle Mariners. It's Lazaro Montes, who spent much of 2025 surrounded by a veritable cloud of hype.
The 20-year-old out of Cuba got off a red-hot start with High-A Everett, which eventually earned him a boost to Double-A Arkansas. All told, he played in 131 games and posted an .858 OPS, 136 wRC+ and 32 home runs, the most of any prospect who didn't rise above Double-A.
For Montes, there is something cathartic about ending the year with Baseball America singing his praises.