Watch: Highly touted Mariners prospect hits 1st Cactus League HR
Feb 24, 2025, 4:07 PM | Updated: 4:43 pm
Seattle Mariners power-hitting prospect Lazaro Montes went deep for his first career Cactus League home run on Monday.
Fittingly, it was a no-doubter.
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Facing a 1-2 count in the bottom of the eighth inning, the 20-year-old Montes launched a three-run shot that bounced off the center field batter’s eye during the Mariners’ 12-8 road win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Montes’ towering blast came off 2024 fifth-round draft pick John Holobetz and registered a 108 mph exit velocity, according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer.
Lazaro Montes with a certified BLAST. #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/9Plz5O9vwN
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) February 24, 2025
It was one of three home runs by the Mariners on the day. Veteran outfielder Mitch Haniger lined a solo shot to left-center field in the second inning and first-base prospect Hogan Windish crushed a two-run blast to center field in the seventh. It was Haniger’s first homer of the spring and Windish’s second in three Cactus League games.
Montes, a 6-foot-3 left-handed-hitting outfielder from Cuba, is ranked as MLB.com’s No. 42 overall prospect and Baseball America’s No. 97 overall prospect. In 2024, he slashed .288/.397/.484 with 21 homers and an .881 OPS over 116 games between Low-A Modesto and High-A Everett. Over his three pro seasons, he has a .291 batting average with 44 homers and a .940 OPS in 243 games.
More on Montes’ blast in latest Seattle Mariners notebook
Montes is one of several Mariners top prospects who were invited to big league camp for the first time. Prior to this spring, he had a total of 10 career Cactus League at-bats.
The 34-year-old Haniger is looking to rebound after a rough 2024 reunion with the Mariners. He hit just .208 with 12 homers in 121 games last year after spending the 2023 season with the San Francisco Giants.
Hanny homer! #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/nReh87bFv9
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) February 24, 2025
Windish, a 2022 seventh-round pick, spent last season in Double-A Arkansas. He batted .218 with 15 homers in 124 games.
The Mariners are 2-2 in Cactus League play. They face the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday at 12:05 p.m.
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