The White Sox currently have a stacked farm system, and by midseason, they should be considered a top-five farm system in baseball. This rise is due to the existing talent, but also because some lesser-known prospects are playing themselves into higher slots on prospect ranking lists.
As we sit about a month into the season, we continue our top prospect list, getting to know some of the best prospects in the organization. We started with our 20th ranked prospect, making our way to the best prospect in the system. We unveiled our 3rd ranked prospect, Noah Schultz, in our last article. Here, we cover our 2nd ranked prospect, Braden Montgomery.
Montgomery was selected 12th overall in the 2024 draft by the Boston Red Sox and shortly after was traded to the White Sox as one of the headliners in the Garrett Crochet deal.
Montgomery would have gone higher in the draft if he had not suffered a broken ankle in the NCAA tournament. Montgomery also had three productive college seasons under his belt, two at Stanford and one at Texas A&M, which justifies using a top-12 pick on him. Montgomery clearly has no long-lasting issues from this injury, as he has been one of the best hitters in the White Sox organization.
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Due to his injury, he didn’t get a chance to play in any minor league games with the Boston Red Sox organization, as he made his professional debut in 2025 with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
In 18 games with the Cannon Ballers, he hit .304 with three homeruns, 19 RBls, and six stolen bases. This led to a quick promotion to the Winston-Salem Dash, where he would end up spending a majority of the 2025 season.
In 69 games with the Dash, he hit .260, adding eight homeruns, 38 RBIs, and five stolen bases. This was another solid performance for Montgomery, and he earned himself his second promotion of the year, as he finished the season with the Birmingham Barons.
In 34 games with the Barons, Montgomery hit .272 with one homerun and 11 RBls. He had a very solid .364 OBP and he stole three bases. All in all, this was a very successful minor league debut for Montgomery.
Montgomery is in Birmingham to start the 2026 season, and he has been on quite the tear. In 22 games, Montgomery is hitting .313 with a .422 OBP and a .600 slugging percentage. He has added four homeruns, 19 RBls, and two stolen bases. This is a great start and exactly what you want to see out of your outfielder of the future.
Braden Montgomery goes deep for the 2nd time today. #Barons get within 4, and trail 8-4. pic.twitter.com/zlwtC9fKcW
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) April 12, 2026
If not for our number one ranked prospect, Montgomery would be the White Sox best hitting prospect, as he will anchor right or center for a long time in Chicago. He has legit 20/20 upside and has a rocket arm in the outfield. He may even find himself in Chicago by the end of the year, getting a chance to prove why he is so highly touted.
