M’s add 3 international prospects, including one with ‘top-of-scale elite raw power’

Seattle’s second-ranked farm system just added three top international prospects.

On Tuesday afternoon, Mariners director of International Amateur Scouting Frankie Thon Jr. announced a trio of deals with players on the Top 50 International Prospects list. Lazaro Montes, an outfielder from Cuba, headlines the list at No. 8 and signed for a reported $2.5 million, per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.

Also announced were the signings of Colombian shortstop Michael Arroyo, who ranks No. 41 on the list, and Dominican shortstop Martin Gonzales, who ranks No. 48.

Arroyo signed for $1,375,000, and Gonzales signed for $1.3 million, per Sanchez’s report.

Montes, Seattle’s 17-year-old top signing, earned a 60-grade power tool by scouts and a 55 grade overall (on a 20-80 scale). He’s set to start his minor league career at center field, though his six-foot-four frame could allow for a corner spot going forward.

Montes’ scouting report from MLB said his emerging athleticism helped him emerge from that of a one-tool player. He’s described as possessing an average arm with average defensive skills, and that the Mariners are “banking on his impactful raw power and above-average athleticism.”

He’s a left-handed hitter “who has the ability to develop into an impactful middle of the order power bat with solid feel for the strike zone,” Thon Jr. said of the newly signed Montes in a press release. “He’s an above-average hitter with on-base skills to complement his top-of-scale elite raw power. Montes is a steady defender on the outfield corners and a solid athlete. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound outfielder possesses a larger than life frame with an even bigger personality.”

Arroyo, 17, earned a 50-overall grade from scouts. Unlike Montes, he’s known more for a 55-grade hit tool and “has a chance to have above-average tools across the board,” per MLB. Now at shortstop, there’s a chance Arroyo could move to second base.

“He stood out as a performer across different international events in numerous countries. Arroyo has a quick and compact swing with developing power and good knowledge of the strike zone with mature swing decisions,” Thon Jr. said.

“The 5-foot-11, 170-pound infielder has a solid glove in the infield, likely setting in at second or third base.”

Gonzales, also 17, is the glove-first player and possesses highly-touted defensive skills. Given a 50-overall grade from scouts, he makes hard contact for his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame, and sports an above-average arm for the shortstop position.

From Gonzales’ scouting report: “(he) makes playing defense look easy.”

Seattle entered the 2021-22 signing period on Jan. 15 with a pool of $5,179,700, which represents a hard cap that teams cannot exceed. Signing bonuses of $10,000 or less are excluded from spending limits, and teams cannot trade pool space through Dec. 15, 2022.

“It’s great to be adding these three young players to an already exciting Mariners minor league system,” Thon Jr. said. “Each of them offers a unique skillset that our Player Development staff should really enjoy working with. We are also thrilled with the quality of the people that we are bringing onboard.”

The Mariners already rank second on MLB’s latest farm system rankings, which was updated last August. That list is headlined by outfield prospect Julio Rodriguez, who was placed on Seattle’s 40-man roster last month to avoid Rule 5 Draft eligibility. He’s set to make his major league debut in 2022.

Seattle signed Rodriguez in July 2017. He ranked 10th on the Top 50 International Prospects list at the time. He’s now the second-ranked prospect in baseball.

Shortstop Noelvi Marte (No. 11), starting pitchers George Kirby (No. 33) and Emerson Hancock (No. 34), and 2021 first-round catcher Harry Ford (No. 98) round out the remainder of Seattle’s prospects on the Top 100 list.

Both Kirby and Hancock are expected to debut for the Mariners this season.