In terms of pure value, there are few players on the Chicago White Sox's roster that deserve more credit for the team's surprising success this year than Colson Montgomery. The second-year middle infielder has hit a whopping 28 home runs while playing excellent defense at third base (+3 Outs Above Average) and shortstop (+6 OAA), earning him 2.6 fWAR. That latter figure ranks fifth among all Pale Hose position players this year, behind only Miguel Vargas, Chase Meidroth, Tristan Peters, and Munetaka Murakami.
Yes, he has flaws in his game. He strikes out too much and doesn't run the bases particularly well, hence his low batting average and on-base percentage. But for a 24-year-old shortstop, he's got a pretty ironclad case to be considered a candidate for the unofficial "future face of the franchise" honor.
Colson Montgomery slugs a 3-run homer! pic.twitter.com/37MpcN7Zpo
— MLB (@MLB) August 29, 2026
Unfortunately, those flaws have started to swallow him whole. Montgomery is mired in one of the worst slumps of his pro career right now, which isn't helping as the White Sox attempt to hang onto their division lead.
Colson Montgomery's worst tendencies are being exploited by MLB pitchers
If you've been paying attention, you know that this slump isn't a "new" revelation. Since June 1, he's hitting below the Mendoza Line (.192) with a 72 wRC+ and a truly ugly 38.2% strikeout rate. Power hitters are prone to go through periods of struggle when they get over-aggressive at the plate, but Montgomery has only slid further the longer this cold snap has gone on.
Things have reached a dire point here in August, as he's hitting a paltry .186/.252/.309 over 25 games thus far. His .562 OPS is by far the worst he's posted in a single month in his MLB career -- ditto for his unfathomable 44.2% strikeout rate. Yes, he's struck out in nearly half of his plate appearances this month. As I said, things are dire.
As an extreme pull hitter -- Montgomery's career pull rate is 48.9%, compared to a 37.5% league average -- his timing is going to be an issue for the foreseeable future. He has to commit to swinging at pitches earlier, hence why his chase and whiff rates are so massive. Still, there's a balancing act that needs to be performed here; an inability to put the ball in play on nearly 50% of your plate appearances is unacceptable.
This skid shouldn't cause us to overreact. His raw tools are so impressive that it'd be foolish to give up on him at this stage of his career. But with the White Sox ahead of schedule and in the midst of a race for a division title (and possibly a first-round bye), they can't just keep throwing their star shortstop to the wolves every night.
Something has to change, whether it's Montgomery's approach or Will Venable's lineup.
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