The 2024 season for the Chicago White Sox was one of the worst in modern day baseball history. They were 41-121 and the worst team in the league by far. The bright spots were few and far between, as the team was very hard to watch for many White Sox fans.
However, down on the farm, the White Sox have some very intriguing players that can give fans a glimmer of hope for the future. We will be recapping the seasons of some of the best prospects in the White Sox system, starting from #30 and going in order to #1 as MLB Pipeline has them ranked. As you’ll see, there are some very intriguing prospects that can help bring the White Sox back to relevance.
Sitting at number three on the list is shortstop Colson Montgomery. The rankings we relied on were released prior to the Garrett Crochet trade that sent Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery into our top 5. So, as it currently sits, Montgomery is ranked as the White Sox #4 prospect on MLB Pipeline, but he was #3 before the trade.
It wasn’t long ago that Montgomery was considered the number one prospect for the White Sox and one of the best in all of baseball. Unfortunately, Montgomery’s 2024 season sent him down a few spots on the list.
Montgomery spent the entire 2024 season in AAA, playing for the Charlotte Knights. He hit .214 with a .329 OBP to go along with 18 homeruns and 63 RBIs. The power showed up in a big way but it took some points off his average, as his lowest average before this season was .274.
Montgomery ended up playing in the Arizona Fall League this year and showed off why he was ranked as a top prospect, as he hit .313 with an insane .511 OBP to go along with three homeruns, 11 RBIs, and four stolen bases in just 11 games.
White Sox top prospect Colson Montgomery this fall: 1.167 OPS, 3 HR, 11 RBI… pic.twitter.com/6yj47dhFsA
— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) October 27, 2024
There is still a lot to like about Montgomery, as he is extremely talented. I don’t think that one minor league season as a 22 year old in AAA should raise any alarms. The underlying metrics are still in his favor, as Thomas Nestico broke down Montgomery’s metrics in AAA.
Colson Montgomery struggled in his first AAA season, but there was a lot to like about his profile
He exhibited elite exit velocities and was proficient at pulling fly balls. The 22-year-old will likely make his MLB debut in 2025 for Chicago pic.twitter.com/TGA5kaRE99
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) December 20, 2024
As you can see, there is still a lot to like about Montgomery and he should compete, if not win the starting shortstop gig out of Spring Training. The White Sox are going to be bad, so it would be nice to see Montgomery get 500 at-bats in the major leagues in a low pressure environment. Sometimes it takes a player a few years to get used to MLB pitching, so might as well start that clock now.
