MLB Pipeline has released its updated Top 100 prospects list, with two Cuban players earning spots—one fewer than last year.
Lazaro Montes, ranked No. 42 overall and No. 3 in the Seattle Mariners’ system, is the highest-ranked Cuban prospect. The 20-year-old outfielder had a strong 2024 season, winning California League MVP honors. Montes hit .288 with 21 doubles, two triples, and 21 home runs, driving in 105 runs while posting a .397 on-base percentage and an .881 OPS over 116 games between Low-A Modesto and High-A Everett. He excelled in Modesto, batting .309 with 13 home runs before earning a June promotion to Everett, where he added eight more homers while hitting .260. Montes is also ranked as the No. 10 outfield prospect in all of baseball.
Montes had a dominant stretch in the season, delivering back-to-back two-home-run games on August 29 and 30 with High-A Everett. Over those two games, he totaled eight RBIs, two doubles, and 20 total bases.
Also making the list is Edgar Quero, ranked No. 66 overall and the No. 9 catcher prospect. The switch-hitting backstop from Cienfuegos originally signed with the Angels in 2021 before being traded to the White Sox in 2023 as part of the deal for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López. In 2024, he played at both Double-A and Triple-A, finishing with a .280 average, 16 home runs, 16 doubles, 70 RBIs, and 39 walks over 98 games.
Quero put together some standout performances, including a perfect 5-for-5 game on June 18, where he racked up two doubles, three RBIs, and seven total bases. He also had a multi-homer game on April 12, going 2-for-3 with five RBIs and seven total bases.
Both players continue to rise in their respective organizations, reinforcing their status as two of the most promising Cuban prospects in baseball.