The White Sox don’t have much in terms of depth in their farm system, but two young studs, Oscar Colas and Colson Montgomery have landed in the MLB list of the Top 100 Prospects in baseball. Montgomery and Colas being placed amongst baseball’s elite prospects is a welcome sight for Sox fans after the team was shut out of last year’s Top 100 list. 

This year’s hitter-heavy list with 71 position players and just 29 pitchers. Unfortunately for the White Sox, the Guardians landed seven players on the list, which was tied with the Dodgers for the second-most in baseball. Meanwhile, the Tigers and Twins each landed three inside the Top 100. Only the Royals had less in the AL Central, with Gavin Cross as their lone representative. 

Colson Montgomery

Colson Montgomery was named the 38th-best prospect in baseball and was one of just 22 shortstops to land in the Top 100. Montgomery was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. The 20-year-old is a strong multi-sport athlete with a 6 foot 4 inch, 205-pound frame. He has bulked up since entering the professional ranks, adding nearly 15 pounds of muscle. 

Coming out of Southridge High School in Indiana, he received comparisons to Corey Seager. It’s easy to see why. Montgomery is a left-handed hitter with lots of speed and a smooth glove. In a shortstop-heavy draft, he was widely considered one of the best ones. He was ranked as the 8th best shortstop in the nation by Perfect Game.

 During his senior season, Montgomery led his team to a Class 3A state title. The left-hander hit .333 with seven home runs, 17 extra-base hits, and 24 stolen bases. His stock was high coming into the draft despite concerns his attention was not focused solely on baseball. Montgomery was Southridge’s all-time leading scorer on the hardwood. He committed to play baseball at Indiana University in 2020 and also told MLB Network Radio that he would walk on to play basketball if he chose to go to college.

Any of those concerns have since been alleviated. After signing with the White Sox, he hit .287 in his first taste of Rookie Ball. In his first full minor league season, he slashed .274/.381/.429 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs 40 extra-base hits through three levels. He will begin next season in Double-A Birmingham and is projected to reach the big leagues in 2024. 

Oscar Colas

Oscar Colas came in as the No. 85 ranked prospect in the MLB Top 100. The White Sox signed him for $2.4 million last year as an international free agent. He is one of just 25 international signees who cracked the Top 100. The other 75 were all products of the MLB Draft. 

Colas is coming off a monster season in the minor leagues. The 24-year-old slashed .314/.371/.524 with a .895 OPS between High-A Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham, and Triple-A Charlotte in 2022, tallying 23 home runs, 24 doubles, four triples, 79 RBIs, and 81 runs scored. He also made an appearance in the MLB Futures game and put on an impressive defensive display. Colas stated that his first-year goals included 15 home runs and 100 total hits. He easily surpassed that mark with 151. After reaching Triple-A in his first season in the United States, he seems poised to take over as the White Sox every day right fielder. 

“We think very highly of him,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said of Colas. “We think he very much deserves to be in the mix for the Opening Day roster in ’23”. 

The hunger and drive are there. Colas has been working hard over the offseason to try and earn the spot. He resides in Miami, just 36 miles away from Luis Robert’s home in Weston, Fla, and the two have been in constant contact as they try to form a lockdown defensive combination in the outfield. He has all the tools to be a successful player at the MLB level. He has a strong arm and can hit for power. The question is how long it will take him to adjust and if the White Sox can afford to suffer through growing pains as they try to reclaim the AL Central. 

“I’m motivated, and I really want to earn that spot. That’s my goal right now. I’m working hard for that, and we’ll see what happens.”