The Chicago White Sox went into the 2021 Major League Baseball draft with several needs. The catcher was a glaring one and something needs to be done about the depth there. Outfielder seems to always be a position of need and some quality depth could have been taken at one of the three positions.
The Chicago White Sox made a very promising draft selection on Sunday.
The White Sox decided to go a different route. Shortstop, a clearly important need for depth purposes, was the position that the White Sox targeted and they came away with one of the best players at that position.
Colson Montgomery, a 19-year-old prospect who played his high school ball at Southridge High School in Huntingburg Indiana was who the Sox picked up with their first-round pick. They just so happened to be picking 22nd in the first round and took Colson right about where he was predicted to go in the draft.
In looking at his history and abilities, we should be able to discover that he has way many more ups than he does downs. Montgomery has a lot of potentials and could benefit the White Sox sooner rather than later. This 6’4”, 190-pound shortstop throws right, bats right, and has a strong arm which is something that’s needed for the position.
The website Perfect Game.org provides some good statistics and other information about Montgomery. Judging by what they have, Montgomery some speed (6.91 60-yard dash). He also has a reasonably strong arm which works well when throwing people out at first base. He’s a smart player with good instincts and makes quick decisions.
Looking further into what Perfect Game.org had to say about Montgomery:
"“Colson Montgomery is a 2021 SS with a 6-4 190 lb. frame from Holland, IN who attends Southridge. Long and athletic build, very projectable physically. Left handed hitter, hits from a tall stance, drifts his lower half into contact from a high lift trigger, fluid swing with some bat speed and leverage, pull to mid field approach, has strength in his hands at contact and can create some jump, very projectable with the bat with lots of untapped power there. 6.91 runner, has quick actions at the ball, moves well for his size and is athletic and balanced on challenging plays, gets rid of the ball quickly from multiple arm slots, chance to stay in the middle of the field as he gets stronger. Verbal commitment to Indiana.”"
It’s going to be interesting to see if Montgomery does enter college or decides to go where the White Sox wants to send him. He appears to be many years away from playing in the majors so it’s tough to say where he might end up to start off.
It would probably benefit him to get into the minors right away and start developing so that he could stop in should the White Sox need some help at shortstop. But college is an attractive option as it provides education and something to fall back on should Montgomery not succeed in baseball. We will see what he decides to do in the next few weeks.