Weekly Risers: Montes Shops at The Gap and a New Wave of Deep-Cut Bats
By Morgan Davis ·
Weekly Risers: Montes Shops at The Gap
Lazaro Montes put together another big week at the plate, going 7-for-19 with four doubles, a home run and three walks. That works out to a .368/.455/.737 slash line, with five of his seven hits going for extra bases. The Cuban-born left-handed hitter continues to show why his power receives a 70 grade. Montes does not need to sell out to produce impact, and when he gets the ball in the air, few prospects can match his raw power.
There are still legitimate questions. Montes will need to prove that he can make enough contact against major-league pitching, while his speed and defensive profile may limit how much value he provides outside the batter’s box. Nevertheless, the offensive upside is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Montes is ranked No. 50 overall and No. 3 in the Mariners system, and his latest surge strengthens the argument that his bat may soon be ready for a bigger challenge.
Seattle has received 1.2 fWAR from its right fielders this season, predominantly from Luke Raley, who is hitting .249/.307/.488. Raley has provided some production, but the Mariners have lost five of their past six games and sit at 52-55, making the need for an offensive spark increasingly urgent. Calling up Montes would come with risk, but his left-handed power could provide exactly the kind of energy and game-changing upside Seattle currently lacks.
Quick Hits
Wilder Dalis, SS, Rockies (A, Fresno) · #612 · Week: 6 G, 28 PA, .522/.607/1.174 with 5 singles, 3 doubles, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 6 K. Season (combined A and RK): .294/.403/.539 with 19 doubles, 2 triples, 11 HR, 19 SB over 273 PA. A 19-year-old switch-hitting infielder with a 50 hit / 45 power foundation just layered a full week of over-the-fence impact on top of an already strong line; the contact held, the walk rate stayed healthy, and this looks less like noise and more like a real step toward a utility-or-better offensive outcome.
Gavin Cross, OF, Royals (AAA, Papillion) · #470 · Week: 6 G, 29 PA, .444/.483/1.222 with 3 singles, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K. Season: .249/.316/.413 with 12 doubles, 5 triples, 10 HR, 21 SB over 349 PA. The 25-year-old left-handed corner bat graded as 45 hit / 55 power was named International League Player of the Week on the back of homering in five straight games.
Kristian Robinson, LF, Diamondbacks (AAA, Reno) · #695 · Week: 5 G, 21 PA, .579/.619/.842 with 8 singles, 2 doubles, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K. Season: .284/.393/.439 with 12 doubles, 5 triples, 8 HR, 16 SB in 355 PA.
Lonnie White Jr., OF, Pirates (AA, Altoona) · #630 · Week: 5 G, 22 PA, .421/.500/.947 with 4 singles, 1 double, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K. Season (combined A+ and AA): 79 G, 341 PA, .276/.378/.534 with 14 doubles, 2 triples, 19 HR, 18 SB, 103 K, 47 BB. A 23-year-old 65 athlete / 70 speed corner profile that has always lived with high swing-and-miss posted another damage-heavy week, including his 19th homer. The strikeout rate is still noisy, but over two levels he now has sustained game power and baserunning production that make the “utility LF” projection feel conservative.
Samil Serrano, OF, Nationals (RK, Washington DC) · #843 · Week: 5 G, 20 PA, .467/.600/.867 with 4 singles, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K. Season: .292/.406/.509 with 8 doubles, 3 triples, 3 HR, 10 SB over 128 PA. The 17-year-old high-bonus center-fielder has a fairly clean lefty swing and a body that needs to put on some mass/strength.
Conor Essenburg, OF, Braves (A, North Augusta) · #536 · Week: 6 G, 29 PA, .391/.483/.826 with 5 singles, 1 double, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 5 BB, 7 K. Season (combined RK and A): 60 G, 278 PA, .260/.399/.475 with 11 HR, 11 doubles, 2 triples, 52 BB, 93 K. A 19-year-old right fielder with 55 power / 60 arm continues to live off bat speed, walks, and real game thump. Essenburg had real two-way athelticism as a prep.
Max Williams, OF, Marlins (A, Jupiter) · #898 · Week: 6 G, 24 PA, .526/.625/.684 with 7 singles, 3 doubles, 1 RBI, 5 BB, 2 K. Season: 12 G, 52 PA, .390/.519/.585 with 5 doubles, 1 HR, 10 BB, 8 K. The 21-year-old left-handed corner bat is tightly wound with a stiff swing but he has the ability to find the barrel.
Mac Horvath, 3B, Rays (AA, Montgomery) · #877 · Week: 5 G, 22 PA, .556/.591/.778 with 8 singles, 1 double, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K. Season: .260/.314/.385 with 14 doubles, 3 triples, 6 HR, 34 SB over 335 PA. The 25-year-old 55 power / 60 speed utility type turned in one of his cleaner contact weeks while still running, which matters given the hit-tool risk baked into his profile. This is a sum of the parts profile that gives you a good at-bat and could end up in a super-utility role.
Josh Kasevich, SS, Blue Jays (AAA, Buffalo) · #504 · Week: 6 G, 29 PA, .458/.552/.708 with 7 singles, 3 doubles, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 3 K. Season: .302/.389/.399 with 18 doubles, 3 triples, 4 HR, 40 RBI, 45 BB, 46 K over 422 PA. The 25-year-old 55 hit / 55 field shortstop did what his report says: high-contact, low-K, modest-impact offense wrapped in steady defense.
Jirvin Morillo, C, Reds (RK, Goodyear) · #966 · Week: 5 G, 21 PA, .267/.476/.867 with 1 single, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K. Season: .321/.449/.652 with 13 doubles, 5 triples, 13 HR, 44 BB, 61 K in 235 PA. Morillo is a 19-year-old switch-hitting, bat-first catcher. If any of the glove projections take a step forward, this becomes one of the more interesting offensive catching profiles in the lower minors.
Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP, Cardinals (A+, Peoria) · #443 · Week: 1 GS, 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K. Season: 73.1 IP, 3.68 ERA, 104 K, 24 BB, 11 HR. The 19-year-old Venezuelan righty with a 55 fastball, 50 slider, 45 change. Ramp him up a few spots on the big board. It is time for him to get a taste of Double-A.
Ramon Marquez, RHP, Phillies (A+, Lakewood) · #477 · Week: 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K. Season (combined): 54 IP, 1.83 ERA, 86 K, 18 BB, 26 H allowed. A 20-year-old right-hander whose best weapon is a 55-grade changeup just dropped a 10-strikeout A+ start that fits perfectly on top of a dominant two-level line. The stuff is still more “average fastball, plus change, working breakers” than headline-grabbing, but the bat-miss and run prevention are starting to look like back-end starter material instead of just lower-minors noise.
Iker Redona, LHP, Reds (RK, Goodyear) · #933 · Week: 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K. Season: 47 IP, 2.68 ERA, 64 K, 7 BB. An 18-year-old lefty built on command and a fastball/change foundation just turned in another efficient complex start. The velocity and breaking ball remain more projection than present, but the strike-throwing and K/BB profile are what you want before you decide how far to push the stuff.
Caden Hunter, LHP, Orioles (A+, Frederick) · #740 · Week: 1 GS, 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K. Season (combined): 68 IP, 1.46 ERA, 102 K, 31 BB, 11 ER allowed. The 22-year-old left-hander with a 55 fastball / 55 change mix keeps putting up rotation-level strikeout volume with real run prevention. The slider still trails the other pitches, but this latest start is another data point supporting a potential No. 4 starter outcome rather than just an organizational arm.
Ethan Bagwell, RHP, Braves (A+, Rome) · #738 · Week: 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K. Season (combined): 89.1 IP, 2.72 ERA, 88 K, 26 BB. A 20-year-old righty with mid-90s fastball / average slider / developing changeup just layered another clean start onto a season that already looks like back-end starter material. The arsenal still leans more “No. 5 with up-down risk” than “locked-in rotation piece,” but weeks like this keep him in the conversation.
Hayden Mullins, LHP, Red Sox (AA, Portland) · #796 · Week: 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K. Season (combined AA/AAA): 60 IP, 5.10 ERA, 85 K, 38 BB. The 25-year-old lefty with a 50 fastball / 55 slider mix and below-average command put together the best version of his strikeout-heavy profile: lots of whiffs, manageable walks, and no damage. The long-term arrow still points more toward multi-inning relief than stable rotation job, but this is the start that keeps him on the up-down radar.
Talon Haley, LHP, Angels (A, Rancho Cucamonga) · #440 · Week: 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K. Season: 63.2 IP, 4.95 ERA, 85 K, 32 BB. The 20-year-old with a plus curveball, above-average fastball, and exceptional makeup turned in a no-hit, eight-strikeout outing that resembles the “closer or No. 4 starter if health cooperates” report. The walk total is still the gating item, but the stuff continues to show up in line with the draft and bonus story.
Josh Hartle, LHP, Guardians (AA, Akron) · #831 · Week: 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K. Season: 87.1 IP, 4.02 ERA, 83 K, 34 BB. A 23-year-old pitchability lefty with a plus slider and below-average fastball velocity keeps doing the back-of-the-rotation thing: enough whiffs, enough strikes, and workable run prevention. The profile still screams “No. 5 starter / depth lefty” more than anything else, but outings like this keep that outcome firmly on the table.