Colson Montgomery’s stock just continues to rise.
After being ranked in the top 20 for MLB Pipeline (#17) and Baseball America (#14) in their most recent prospect rankings, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN took his ranking of Montgomery a step further, placing him as the second-best prospect in all of baseball.
Here’s what McDaniel had to say about the White Sox’ top prospect, who ranks just behind Orioles’ Jackson Holliday:
“This is an aggressive ranking, but nobody I spoke with has Montgomery outside of their top 10; most have him in their top five. Montgomery has a shot to be a plus hitter with plus power and play shortstop in the big leagues, so the idea is similar to Holliday, but you’d see differences if you watched them. Montgomery is bigger and stronger at 6-foot-3, is one notch slower on the bases and will probably settle at third base eventually, but he’s in the Corey Seager range of size/speed/strength/feel: He could thread the needle and be the best of both worlds.”
– Kiley McDaniel, ESPN
McDaniel’s comp to Corey Seager is nothing new, as since Montgomery has been drafted, due to his general frame as a player, Seager has been a natural comp for a lot of people. However, to say most people he speaks to put Montgomery in their top 5-10 prospects is certainly something to take note of.
After spending most of this season on the injured list with a back strain, Montgomery returned to High-A and tore up the league, hitting .345/.537/.552 in 82 plate appearances before being promoted to Double-A. In Birmingham, he’s struggled a bit to start, slashing .179/.465/.357 in nine games and 42 plate appearances, though he’s walked as many times as he’s struck out (23.3% walk and strikeout rates).
Scouts continue to be very bullish on Colson Montgomery based on individual write-ups, with MLB Pipeline saying he has “impressed evaluators with his ability to make advanced swing decisions for a youngster, rarely chasing pitches out of the strike zone while laying off difficult offerings and pounding the ones he should.”
Based on how quickly Montgomery is progressing, it doesn’t seem out of the picture that he makes an appearance at some point during the 2024 major league season. However, Double-A remains a huge test for Montgomery – one that White Sox fans will anxiously be awaiting him to pass.
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Featured Image: MLB Pipeline / Twitter
Unreal, Sox have had lots of problems in the draft, glad to see a positive
Struggling with a .800+ OPS? I get the BA is down but if there was ever an example of why BA is a poor stat this is it.
This was more in response to the sub-.400 SLG