Want to see a batter who just keeps climbing levels like a metronome? Meet Colson Montgomery.
- Born: February 27, 2002
- B/T: Left/Right
- 6’4″, 205-lbs
- Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from Southridge HS (Huntingburg, IN)
The Numbers
His raw numbers are listed above courtesy of baseball-reference.com. Let’s aggregate by year then focus on the important numbers for minor leaguers:
Colson Montgomery was considered an old high schooler when he was drafted 22nd overall in the 2021 draft. He was 19 at the time, and he went right to rookie ball where he got on base and showed a great batting eye.
The next season he starts in A ball, and got on base even more, doubled his power, and kept his rock steady batting eye. Very productive.
He gets promoted to High-A, and still gets on base, still shows that power, and has an even more ridiculous batting eye.
He goes to a third level in that same year, Double-A, and finally, at the end of his first full professional season, and facing pitchers on average four years older than him that it finally falls apart in a small sample size, though the power remained.
Monthly Splits
In a more granular way we see that April was good, and May was fantastic. June he continued at a new level and kept getting on base and improved his batting eye.
It’s in July when the power drops out, though everything else was peachy (a scouting term I invented). August saw him fading, and that last gasp September was rough (though the power bounces back).
Handedness K% and BB%
A (vs RH): 22%K and 14%BB. (vs LH): 15%K and 6%BB.
A+ (vs RH): 15%K and 17%BB. (vs LH): 19%K and 13%BB.
AA (vs RH): 24%K and 5%BB. (vs LH): 45%K and 0%BB.
That’s a real skill right there. He simply doesn’t strike out that much (11 plate appearances against lefties in AA notwithstanding), and he draws walks. You just need power to fill out this skill set, and a Hard Hit rate of 30.7% is just fine for a 20-year-old standing 6’4″ and weighing over 200 pounds. He has power.
The Scouts
- Rotowire: #44 on their Top 400
- Fantrax: #45 on their Top 400
- RotoProspects: #81 on Top 500
Warnings
He was briefly in Double-A and he was worn out, so we give him a pass. But we want to see him show the same good skills in Double-A to start 2023.
No speed.
Conclusion
He’s one of the best prospects the White Sox have. Some observers think his size means he will move to 3B, though his defense at SS is fine.
Doesn’t matter, he has the power and the bat skills to play either position and do it well for years to come.
Remember he’s only going to be 21 to start 2023. Assuming he does well in Double-A, it will be Triple-A by summer, and maybe a taste of the majors by September. By 2024 he will be looking to take his place in the starting lineup of the White Sox.