If you’ve watched or followed any amount of White Sox baseball over the past nine months, you’re likely aware of the remarkable impact White Sox infielder Colson Montgomery has made at the plate early in his big league career. The former White Sox first-round pick went from struggling in Triple-A to tearing up Major League pitching in a matter of months en route to a fifth-place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Montgomery’s 21 home runs in the second half fueled the White Sox to a 28-37 conclusion to the year and began the feelings of optimism heading into 2026. The power is great, but Colson Montgomery’s impact is going beyond just hitting home runs, and that’s become abundantly clear early this season.
Colson Montgomery! MY GOODNESS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/MAftRqcwni
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 22, 2026
Colson Montgomery has unexpectedly turned into a great defender at shortstop
Coming up through the White Sox minor league system, Montgomery was never considered a plus defender at shortstop. Many evaluators thought he was too tall and not fast enough to stick at shortstop and wondered if moving to third base would be in his future.
MLB Pipeline’s write-up on Montgomery before the 2025 season said the following:
“He moves well at shortstop, making plays with a quick first step, good agility for his size, a fine internal clock and solid arm strength. Chicago believes he’ll stay at shortstop despite his size, a white some scouts think he could be a plus defender at third base.”
As Montgomery reached the big leagues in 2025, all eyes were on his bat, and not too many people noticed the surprisingly strong defensive numbers he posted. Not only was Montgomery serviceable at shortstop in 2025, he posted 7 OAA in just 71 games, ranking in the 92nd percentile in baseball for shortstops. Impressive numbers, but a small sample size, so the White Sox certainly wanted to see how it carried over into 2026. Well, nearly a month into the 2026 season and Colson Montgomery ranks in the 98th percentile with 4 OAA. Only superstar Bobby Witt Jr. has accumulated more than Montgomery of all shortstops in baseball.
It’s still very early in the season, but if these trends continue, Colson Montgomery will be among the best defensive shortstops in all of baseball. It’ll put the White Sox in an interesting position for the future with a ton of talent at the position on its way. Top prospect Caleb Bonemer has already begun to make the change to third base in the minor leagues this season, and the White Sox are largely expected to take another shortstop in UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky with the first overall pick in July’’s draft. The team also selected Billy Carlson in the first round last season, who many consider to be the best defensive shortstop in the minor leagues.
All of those are issues to deal with when the time comes. Right now, the White Sox can feel comfort knowing that Colson Montgomery is truly a star on both sides of the ball. His game-changing power and excellent defense make him an impact player, and he’s an important part of the White Sox core moving forward. And for White Sox fans, he’s part of an excellent young core that’s quickly becoming exciting to watch.
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