With the Chicago White Sox headed to Colorado for a three-game series against the Rockies, 23-year-old shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery is being called up to make his Major League debut.
Montgomery started the 2025 season with a major slump, but after spending some time in Arizona to work on his swing, he has been destroying Triple-A pitching.
In his last 17 games with Charlotte, Montgomery hit .284 with six (6) home runs and an OPS of 1.003. He earned his way to the big leagues, and now joins a youth movement in Chicago that has energized White Sox fans.
Montgomery's big league debut is obviously good news because of what he can bring on the field. Sox fans are excited to watch him, and for good reason. But Colson Montgomery getting called up by the White Sox also represents the organization breaking a 30-year curse.
Colson Montgomery will be called up by the White Sox, according to multiple reports, including MLB's @ScottMerkin. pic.twitter.com/fTkHT4mStN
— MLB (@MLB) July 4, 2025
Colson Montgomery breaks White Sox curse
Before Colson Montgomery, the last White Sox position player to be drafted in the first round out of high school and make the Major Leagues was catcher Mark Johnson.
Johnson was drafted over 30 years ago, back in 1994. He debuted with the White Sox on September 14, 1998 and played 302 games in a Sox uniform from 1998-2002.
Colson Montgomery up for the #WhiteSox today breaks a nearly 30-year drought.
— Sam Phalen (@Sam_Phalen) July 4, 2025
He is the first White Sox high school position player drafted in the 1st round to make the big leagues since C Mark Johnson, drafted in 1994...
Chicago made a habit of drafting pitchers and college bats. But over the years, they still missed on big swings with Keon Barnum (2012), Courtney Hawkins (2012), Keenyn Walker (2011), and Brett Caradonna (1997).
So many of today's superstar position players are drafted out of high school. Since 2017, 13 different players in baseball have won an MVP Award. 11 of those 13 players were either drafted out of high school or signed as international free agents. The only exceptions are Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt.
What makes Colson Montgomery different?
Developing prep talent has never been something the White Sox did well. But they may have finally gotten one right with Montgomery.
According to White Sox first base coach Justin Jirschele, who managed Montgomery at Charlotte in 2024, Montgomery's energy at the ballpark separates him from White Sox busts of the past.
“He’s a really good teammate. He brings energy. He has an infectious smile about him. He just creates a vibe where he makes people better. He makes his teammates better. When he’s around them, guys gravitate toward him. Everything that his aura brings to a clubhouse, it’s infectious," Jirschele told Scott Merkin. (via Scott Merkin)
Montgomery also has control of the strike zone. Swings-and-misses have been a problem for him at the more advanced levels of the minor leagues, but Colson also takes his walks and understands the zone.
When a young hitter can control the strike zone and have long at-bats, it raises their floor tremendously.
White Sox fans everywhere are anxiously awaiting Montgomery's first taste of Major League Baseball. Hopefully his curse-breaking debut will be the first of many. The White Sox are positioned to select more high school bats in the first round of the 2025 and 2026 MLB Drafts.