As the 2025 MLB regular season winds down, the award races are heating up. While the Chicago White Sox are not going to have players taking home any major awards this season, they do have a few guys who could be involved in the conversation.
With a core of young talent and many rookies, leaving their mark on the White Sox this season, Chicago has a few guys that could get votes for a rookie of the year.
Jim Bowden, a former MLB GM and current analyst with The Athletic, recently put out an updated list of what he believes to be the top 10 rookies in the American League.
Two White Sox players made the list, but where they’re ranked might be a little bit controversial for White Sox fans.
Jim Bowden ranks Kyle Teel over Colson Montgomery
The highest ranking White Sox player on Bowden's list is rookie catcher Kyle Teel, who comes in at No. 6.
Shortstop Colson Montgomery also snuck onto the list, ranked at No. 10.
"Teel, 23, was one of the headline prospects in the package the Red Sox sent to Chicago in the Garrett Crochet trade. So far, he has lived up to expectations and looks to be the White Sox’s long-term solution at catcher," wrote Bowden.
"Defensively, he’s a solid pitch framer and executes the game plan well. Offensively, he’s been excellent with a 132 OPS+, batting .310 against fastballs, .283 against breaking balls and .265 against off-speed pitches, which projects well for sustained success at the plate. He possesses strong leadership qualities and has fit in nicely with the White Sox’s rebuilding plans."
Later on, Bowden gave a positive assessment of Colson Montgomery and what he projects to be for the White Sox in the future., but he did point out a few questions that remain unanswered.
"Montgomery, 23, had a power surge in August, banging 10 home runs while driving in 20 runs despite hitting just .198. That came after a solid July, when he batted .257 with five homers and 18 RBIs. He’s up to 18 home runs in his first 204 MLB plate appearances. He has played shortstop and third base for Chicago this year, demonstrating well-above-average range," wrote Bowden. "He brings positive energy to the field but the big question remains how much he’s going to hit, as he’s struggled to hit for average in the big leagues and in Triple A."
Kyle Teel over Colson Montgomery makes sense
It might surprise some White Sox fans to see Kyle Teel ranked above Colson Montgomery. Montgomery has certainly gotten more national attention over the course of the 2025 season, even if he wasn’t brought up until July 4.
Many people that follow the Chicago White Sox are already declaring Colson Montgomery to be the next face of the franchise. That could very well be true. Colson plays a premium position in shortstop and makes a lot of highlight reel plays. He is the team's leader in fWAR with 2.0 this season despite missing the first three months of the year.
Montgomery has star power. Home runs are the quickest way for a player to become a household name, and Colson has 18 of them in 53 career games. All that being said, I do think there’s an argument for Kyle Teel being the better rookie this season.
Teel is a very well-rounded player. He walks a lot. He hits the ball hard and puts together consistently good at bats. He is a leader, both in the clubhouse and on the field, and he always has command of the game while he’s catching.
Kyle Teel has also been the most clutch player on the White Sox this season.
Montgomery definitely has the higher ceiling of the two, but if there was one player on the White Sox that I was betting on having a 10+ year big league career with multiple All-Star appearances, I’d bet on Kyle Teel.
Maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but I think I agree with Jim Bowden’s rankings.