Colson Montgomery is quickly becoming the face of the White Sox. So much so that Twins centerfielder Byron Buxton asked for his autograph before leaving Chicago.
It’s easy to see why Buxton wanted a signed card from Montgomery. The White Sox shortstop homered in all three games against the Twins, joining Ron Kittle as the only White Sox rookie to have multiple three-game home run streaks.
Montgomery agreed to sign a card for Buxton, but only if he could get a signed bat in return. Buxton obliged, singing a bat with the message “Fun to watch! Best wishes. Keep balling!”
It’s a sentiment many White Sox fans have echoed since Montgomery was promoted. After struggling in Triple-A this year and being forced to spend a week in Arizona to work on his swing, the rookie has been on a tear since joining the MLB ranks.
In his first 43 games, he has posted a .840 OPS with 14 homers and 37 RBIs. At that pace, he would be on track for a whopping 53 homers and 139 RBIs over a full 162-game season. While that rate of production is likely unsustainable, there is plenty of reason to believe that Montgomery can be a force in the White Sox lineup for years to come.
His average bat speed of 76.8 mph is one of the fastest in the MLB. He also also shown the ability to consistently barrel the ball with an expected slugging percentage of .554.
After raising his batting average to .256 following a multi-hit effort in Anaheim at the beginning of August, pitchers began to adjust. Montgomery proceeded to go 7-for-49 over his next 14 games but quickly broke out of the slum with a power surge against the Twins.
It’s reinforced a batten of Montgomery having to battle through adversity this season, despite being a former first-round pick. He’s ability to stay level-headed through it all is a promising sign for a player the White Sox hope can be a cornerstone of the franchise.
But while his offense has drawn much of the attention, his defense has been just as impressive.
Montgomery was drafted as a shortstop, but has still looked like a natural at third base in the 12 games he’s played at the hot corner. He already has four Outs Above Average, with a Fielding Run Value that would rank near the top of the majors if he had played enough games to qualify.
