White Sox rookie Colson Montgomery unveils sick custom bat honoring small-town roots

Chicago White Sox rookie Colson Montgomery revealed his Players’ Weekend custom bat on Thursday, and it didn’t disappoint.

Montgomery, the No. 22 overall pick by the White Sox in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft, was promoted to the big leagues on July 4. Entering Sunday, the 23-year-old shortstop was slashing .234/ .296/ .524/ .820 with 10 home runs and 28 RBIs in his debut season.

Montgomery has quickly become a fan favorite in Chicago. Part of Montgomery’s appeal is that he’s a star from a small town, and he hasn’t forgotten his roots.

Colson Montgomery honors his small-town roots with custom bat

Montgomery hails from a Holland, Indiana. He attended nearby Southridge High School, which had an enrollment of just 500 students. Montgomery was a multi-sport megastar at Southridge, dominating in basketball enough to garner recruitment from Division I schools like Purdue and Louisville.

Ultimately, Montgomery shifted his focus to baseball, and he committed to play at Indiana University as a junior in high school.

It’s clear that Southridge still runs through Montgomery’s veins, even though he’s now an MLB player. Ahead of Players’ Weekend in the majors, Montgomery took to Instagram to reveal his custom bat, which shouts out Southridge and his new home, the South Side!

The Southbidge-to-Southside design was lauded by White Sox fans, and it surely was a hit in Indiana, too.

Montgomery has a chance to grow into a star for Chicago, especially given his mindset. His rookie season has had its ups and downs, but Montgomery has shown flashes of brilliance at times, and more importantly, he’s displayed maturity in the face of his struggles. 

Such an even-keeled approach has led to Montgomery catching fire lately, hitting 10 home runs in a span of just 18 games. Per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, Montgomery is “the third rookie in White Sox history to hit 10 homers in his first 32 career games, joining José Abreu in 2014 (12) and Zeke Bonura in 1934 (also 10).”

Montgomery’s torrid stretch has only reminded the rookie that his earlier-season struggles made him stronger. He acknowledged that fact after a game last week, in which he blasted homer No. 10 on the year off of Detroit Tigers’ Chris Paddack.

“Everything I went through, I needed to go through,” Montgomery said, per Merkin. “Early in my career in the Minor Leagues, I played really well. And then when I got to the higher levels, I had some ups and downs. I think it kind of helped me right now.”

White Sox fans don’t have to worry about Montgomery staying humble and grounded. No matter how high his star reaches in the future for Chicago, he'll always be the Southridge kid.