How Lazaro Montes’ personality and play help the Nuts to California League’s top spot

If you want to see one of the California League’s most exciting outfielders play while he’s in Modesto get to John Thurman Field soon because Lazaro Montes might not be here much longer.

Montes signed a minor league contract in January 2022 and played summer ball with the Seattle Mariners’ Dominican Summer League team in 2022 and the Arizona Complex League team in 2023. Since being assigned to Modesto in August of last year, Montes has done nothing but produce highlights.

He flashed his leather and showed his arm strength in right field in last season’s California League Division series and hit .321 in 33 games in Modesto.

He came back this season and picked up right where he left off, cementing himself as the California League’s best hitter. He leads the league in hits (69), home runs (11) and RBI (62) and ranks second in runs scored (39). He is also in the top five in several other hitting categories.

Manager Zach Vincej preaches the importance of finding a routine, maintaining consistency and continued improvement. Everything from the weight room to making sure he’s getting the right amount of sleep.

“He handles everything like a pro off the field. And I think that really helps him,” Vincej said before the Nuts’ 9-2 win over Fresno Wednesday. “ You notice, knock on wood, he’s been very healthy and there’s something behind that. He does a lot of great things on the work ethic part of things. He works on his plan every single day and he’s very intelligent when it comes to all that stuff.”

Montes has made constant improvements and has the mindset of only getting better. With a new set of prospects coming into the Mariners organization after the July 14-16 MLB draft, Montes could be promoted to the High-A Arkansas Travelers by then. But that is not a guarantee.

Vincej knows how these things work. He played eight seasons (2012–19) in the minor leagues and appeared in 10 Major League games between Cincinnati (2017) and Seattle (2018). Sometimes, it just takes time.

“In a perfect world, I would love to see him pulled up but, I wish I had a crystal ball, I wish I could see that,” the second-year Nuts manager said of Montes’ future in Modesto. “If he keeps doing what he’s doing, who knows? I think he has a great opportunity to (be called up to the High-A Arkansas Travelers). We’ll see where it takes him.”

Montes’ success has helped propel the Nuts to become the top team in the California League. Montes and other Nuts top prospects including Tai Peete, Colt Emerson, Jonny Farmelo and a few others came to Modesto last summer and sparked a late-season run that ended in a California League title. So far this season that same core has led the Nuts to the top of the league (37-15) with a plus-147 run differential.

“We have been together for so long that the chemistry is just amazing,” Montes said via interpreter and bench coach Hecmart Nieves. “We have fun around each other, we enjoy being around each other and just the way we play the game. We play the right way and with passion.”

Before you see him on the field, chasing down pop flies or blasting home runs, you see his personality.

Montes always has a smile. He’s joking with his teammates, the media and the Nuts’ coaching staff. His interactions with fans always are genuine. The Havana, Cuba, native will speak with anyone, in English or Spanish, about anything from which Latin music artists he suggests, who won the Drake vs Kendrick Lamar rap beef or what is going on in the world of sports. Even if it’s just asking how you’re doing, Montes is always invested in making others feel welcome.

“That’s something I bring from home,” Montes said. “I come from a culture where everybody’s happy, everybody’s available. So I learned that as a kid and that’s me, from the people back home in Cuba. It’s something I learned as a little kid.”

Low-A teams play a five-month regular season with a six-game series nearly every week. With that many games, losing streaks happen, the season can become repetitive or energy can get low.

“The coaches can do as much as we could possibly do to help, but it takes guys like Montes to bring up the guys and talk and laugh and keep the guys loose,” Vincej said. “I’m super appreciative of it and it helps build that winning culture that we’re all looking for.

“I see it every day. It’s fun to watch and we all feed into it. We all try to egg him on and try to get him a little louder at times. It’s fun.”

While he is not your normal 19-year-old in stature, standing 6-foot-3, and weighing 210 pounds, he enjoys the regular everyday 19-year-old activities. He has a budding sneaker collection that includes white and red Air Jordan 1-inspired on-field cleats and Lamelo Ball signature shoes for batting practice. He enjoys cooking, making music and playing video games.

Off the field, he still gets his baseball fix on the sticks, playing MLB The Show. He has spent time creating his own custom character, playing through his baseball career in the “Road to the Show” game mode.

“I created it and something weird happened and I got drafted by Seattle,” Montes said.

Montes’ dedication to the process has led to improvements in his fielding and hitting over the past year. In 2023, he was ranked the No. 13 prospect in the Seattle Mariners organization and did not crack the MLB’s top 100 prospects list. After the start he’s had to 2024, Montes is the No. 4 prospect in the Mariners organization and has propelled himself into the top 100 MLB prospects list, coming in at No. 82.

“It could be super, super easy for him to get involved with being a top prospect and say ‘I don’t really have to worry about anyone else. Maybe I signed for a lot of money. All the cameras are on me all the time.’ It can easily go that way,” Vincej said. “But he doesn’t allow that. That’s an amazing attribute that he brings. He’s just a great person.”

Montes has had a great two and a half months to start the 2024 season, but his goals stretch far past this year. He works hard every day and puts a lot on his shoulders. He says he wants to be one of the best to ever play.

“I have high expectations because if you have low expectations, you’re going to reach them and then what?,” Montes said. “For me, it’s being a Hall of Famer and I hold myself accountable, play the right way and learn every day to be the best player I can be and reach my goal.”