3 reasons why Colson Montgomery should be the White Sox shortstop in 2024
Three reasons Colson Montgomery should play in 2024.
The Chicago White Sox have one of the top prospects in baseball waiting in the wings. Shortstop Colson Montgomery, the White Sox first round pick from 2021, is currently rated as the No. 17 prospect in baseball.
Montgomery has great size, standing at 6'4", and has drawn comparisons to Corey Seager thanks to being a lefty-swinging shortstop with offensive upside. With Tim Anderson no longer around, could Montgomery be the Opening Day shortstop in 2024?
Today, I want to take a look at some reasons why Montgomery should win the job.
2024 is a rebuilding year
Most people expect 2024 will be another down year for the White Sox. After losing 101 games in 2023 and sending a ton of talent out the door, 2024 looks to be about finding which players will be here for the long haul. The Sox could still be looking to offload some notable names, so several young players should get a chance soon.
No solid option ahead of him
The White Sox brought in Paul DeJong in free agency and brought in Nicky Lopez in the Aaron Bummer trade. Neither of those options inspires much confidence at the plate, but both have plenty of experience in the middle infield.
DeJong slashed just .226/.281/.393 over 328 at-bats in 2023. Lopez slashed a similar .231/.326/.307 line in 2023 over 225 at-bats. It's probably the best course of option to have DeJong play against lefties and have Lopez as a utility guy filling in at multiple spots. Montgomery should see the majority of plate appearances against right-handed pitchers in 2024. it might be a different story if there was a solidified starter on the team, but there just isn't.
While Montgomery doesn't have experience at this level, this is the perfect time to give him some. If there was another shortstop ahead of him who warranted keeping him down, it'd make sense to do so. However, that's not the case.
Montgomery has had success at each level thus far
Through three levels and 223 at-bats in 2023, Montgomery slashed .287/.456/.484. Montgomery drew an even amount of strikeouts and walks, hit eight home runs, and drove in 37 runs. Sure, the shortstop's numbers dipped a bit in Birmingham. but that's to be expected for a young player.
Montgomery picked back up where he left off in the Arizona Fall League and was named the Most Valuable Player at the Fall Stars Game.
Montgomery has maintained his top prospect status and has gotten on base at each level. No challenge has been too much for Montgomery, and the next step should be the big leagues. If Montgomery has another solid spring, this should be a no-brainer decision.
With that being said, why wait with Montgomery? The talented shortstop will be 22 when Opening Day rolls around and has the highest offensive upside of the infield options. The Sox brought in veteran Paul DeJong, but the experienced infielder is a glove-first player who has never been a plus with the bat. You know what you're getting with DeJong, Nicky Lopez, or Romy Gonzalez, so why not give Montgomery a shot?