Colson Montgomery’s breakout rookie campaign was one of the highlights of the 2025 White Sox season. And soon, he may be joined by another Montgomery.
That would be Braden Montgomery, the White Sox No. 1 prospect who just completed his first professional season. The White Sox acquired him as part of the Garrett Crochet trade with the Red Sox, while also landing Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez, who made their MLB debuts in 2025.
Montgomery began the season in Single-A Kannapolis before earning two promotions to High-A Winston Salem and Double-A Birmingham. Despite the rise in competition, his numbers were similar across all three levels. Playing all three outfield spots, he finished the year slashing .270/.360/.444/.804 with 12 home runs, 34 doubles, 68 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, 57 walks and 130 strikeouts.
“What a player, man. Athleticism is out of the roof,” Double-A manager Guillermo Quiroz said. “You see him in center field and he’s gliding, getting to balls that you wouldn’t think some other people can get to. Then he started hitting doubles for us from both sides of the plate. You can see him, he’s young, he wants it.”
Still just 22 years old, Montgomery quickly rose through the minors in 2025 after being the 12th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M.
But his season came to an unfortunate end after being hit by a pitch in September and suffering a small fracture in his right foot. At the time, the team still expected him to participate in the Arizona Fall League when healed, but he hasn’t appeared in their first six games.
Even without Montgomery, the Birmingham Barons won their second straight Southern League title, though that doesn’t diminish his impact.
“It’s sad that he got hurt because that was another bat in my lineup that was contributing a lot,” Quiroz said. “But he’ll get his chance and he’s going to be a really good outfielder. He’s very intelligent. He does a lot of visualizing stuff and it works for him. He’s one of those guys who thinks a lot and is very straight on in what he wants.”
As for next season, Montgomery still likely has to check off the Triple-A box before making his MLB debut. But as general manager Chris Getz continues to rebuild the White Sox organization, he sees a potential spot on the Major League roster for Montgomery.
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility,” Getz said. “He carried an 800 OPS in his first full season, also coming to a new organization. Another guy we know is going to have a really good offseason, we’ll see how it looks come spring training next year. I can see him contributing at some point next year.
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