One of the major storylines of the 2025 White Sox was the emergence of former first-round pick Colson Montgomery. The 23 year-old was at one time ranked as the top prospect in the White Sox organization, but his status faltered as he struggled with injuries and underperformance. A brutal start to the 2025 season at Triple-A Charlotte led to Montgomery being pulled from game action just a couple months before he'd eventually make his big league debut. Montgomery hit the ground running in his debut season and his incredible run put him on the national radar, which continues to be evidenced in preseason player rankings. MLB Network released their annual Top 100 Right Now list, where they rank the 100 best players in baseball based on their models. Colson Montgomery ranked 88th on the list despite playing only 71 big league games.
Montgomery, 23, made headlines from the moment he stepped foot on a big league field in Colorado on July 4th. Just two months removed from a stint in Arizona with Ryan Fuller, Montgomery began a run of 21 home runs in 71 games. In less than half a season, he nearly led the White Sox in home runs, finishing just one shy of team leader Lenyn Sosa. He posted an OPS of .840 and an OPS+ of 130 while playing surprisingly good defense at shortstop. Montgomery finished fifth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting despite similar production to that of Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, who finished third.
Montgomery, at 88th on the Top 100 players list, finished right behind Angels SS Zach Neto and Giants SS Willy Adames. Montgomery had a stronger offensive season than both players in 2025, though Neto and Adames have a longer track record of success.
Montgomery's development and success will be a key to 2026
Montgomery’s success will be a key to the White Sox taking another step forward in 2026. In an ideal world, he’d sharpen his plate discipline and continue the power surge he started last season. Development isn’t linear, however, so there’s always a chance Montgomery takes a step back in 2026. If the White Sox are going to improve on their 60-win season, Montgomery will be one of the key pieces that need to continue to improve. He’ll have a full season at the big league level to mature and refine his approach.
Colson Montgomery hype video just dropped 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hSqQHqncwd
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) January 14, 2026
In theory, the White Sox will continue to add veteran bats to take some pressure off young players like Montgomery. That hasn’t happened at this point in the offseason, but there’s still time and options available. As White Sox officials have expressed multiple times this offseason, the majority of the progress for the team will need to come from within, so the development of Montgomery and other young players like Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero will be crucial.
So far so good though for Montgomery, who will look to take another step toward becoming the superstar the White Sox know he can be.