After coming off one of the worst seasons in major league baseball history, the White Sox were never expected to compete in 2025. However, the White Sox have been playing much better baseball than last year despite their record, as they just took two out of three from the Boston Red Sox.
Most of the attention will be on the farm system, as the hope is that some of the big names in the minor leagues will help the major league team compete in the near future, as the White Sox have six top-100 prospects on the MLB Pipeline list.
One of the newest additions to the White Sox farm system is off to an absolutely scorching start to his minor league career, as Braden Montgomery has been very impressive in eight games this season.
The Boston Red Sox took Montgomery with the 12th overall pick in last year’s draft, but he would likely have gone higher if it weren’t for the foot injury that ended his season. That same injury prevented Montgomery from getting any minor league action at the end of last year. Now after being traded to the White Sox, Montgomery is getting his first minor league action with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
Montgomery has been as advertised, as he is hitting .313 with a .378 OBP and a .847 OPS. He has added one homerun and three stolen bases so far.
Braden Montgomery's first hit is a 2R bomb. Bonemer comes in to score. #Ballers lead 2-0. pic.twitter.com/F6vukRDgLF
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) April 5, 2025
Perhaps the most impressive part of Montgomery’s game thus far is his ability to drive in runs, as he already has 11 RBIs in just eight games. He was a prolific run producer in college, so it is good to see it has translated to the minor leagues so far.
3 hit game for Braden Montgomery. 14-7 #Ballers as Bonemer comes in to score. This is a season long ERA killer for this poor pitcher. pic.twitter.com/UjyIqsTww7
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) April 12, 2025
After seeing Garrett Crochet dominate in Chicago on Sunday, the White Sox really need Montgomery to be a stud, as it could be a win-win trade for both Sox teams. Since Montgomery was such a good college player, look for him to move quickly through the minor leagues this season.
Because this is the first taste of minor league baseball for Montgomery, I wouldn’t expect him to get called up to the majors this year, so look out for him in 2026. However, he could easily be in AA or AAA by the end of the year, poised to make the jump to the majors out of Spring Training in 2026.
