GLENDALE, Ariz. — Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery is approaching the season with a different mindset than in previous spring trainings, despite a strong rookie performance in . After hitting 21 home runs in 71 games following his major league debut on , Montgomery says his focus remains on proving himself.
“I’m still trying to prove myself — trying to prove myself to the league and trying to prove myself to myself of coming in every single day and being the best person and player I can be,” Montgomery said on Saturday at Camelback Ranch. “I have a lot of really good coaches and teammates who bring that out of me. I’m looking forward to it.”
Montgomery, who will turn 24 on , was among the first position players to arrive at camp, focusing on fundamentals like secondary leads and batting practice as the team held its first full squad workout on Sunday.
The key to his development in , according to Montgomery, lies in consistency. “Just consistently getting better, putting in my work and preparation and learning the game,” he explained. “The more I watch the game, the more I feel like I get better. You think you see everything in baseball and then there’s something that happens that’s crazy. It’s continuing to adapt and not really be satisfied, I guess you could say. Yeah, I had a good second half, but this next year, now they have more scouting on me. They know what I like and don’t like. I just have to keep adapting. Keep being a competitor.”
Last season, Montgomery posted a slash line of .239/.311/.529 with 21 home runs and 55 RBIs. His performance was particularly notable given a brief pause in late April, when he was sent to Triple-A Charlotte for individual work on his swing at the White Sox’s Arizona facility. He returned to Triple-A and eventually earned his place on the major league roster.
“ didn’t start off the best or exactly where you wanted to be,” Montgomery acknowledged. “Sometimes that’s just what happens. Had a really good support system with my family and the front office with the White Sox. They have always believed in me. They never really doubted me. The whole Arizona trip, it wasn’t a doubt thing. (It was) ‘We do believe in you and we just want to get it right.’ It was one of the best things for me.”
The first-round draft pick’s progress is being closely monitored by the White Sox organization. Manager Will Venable emphasized the ongoing work to refine Montgomery’s skills. “Colson went through last year, and it was a great year,” Venable said. “He’s still working to be a complete hitter and just continue to progress and develop. We expect a guy who is making good decisions at the plate. We know about the power. There’s some pitches that he struggled with last year that we want to make sure that he’s able to cover this year, and he’s going to be working on those things.”
Assistant General Manager Josh Barfield highlighted Montgomery’s impressive second half, during which he hit 21 home runs and drove in 53 RBIs. He ranked fifth in the majors in home runs and third in RBIs after the . “It’s really hard to overstate how impressive what he did last year was,” Barfield said. “From an offensive standpoint, being able to make an adjustment like that on the fly, getting pulled out of the season and then going back and having the success he did… Typically guys, when they get to the big leagues, struggle and you have to make that adjustment and you figure it out a little bit. But he hit the ground running and never really looked back offensively.”
Barfield also praised Montgomery’s defensive capabilities, noting that his offensive success sometimes overshadowed his solid play at shortstop. “Because he hit so many homers and was so good offensively, the defense kind of got overlooked,” Barfield said. “He played really good defense at short, which is incredibly hard to do. Now it’s continuing to build off that success, the consistency on the defensive side. And offensively, as great a year as he had, there’s still some things he knows he can improve on.”
Looking ahead, the White Sox organization believes Montgomery has yet to reach his full potential. “With him, you’ve heard about the prospect status for all these years, and for good reason,” Barfield added. “And we got to see glimpses of it. But I still think that his best days are ahead.”
Left fielder Andrew Benintendi echoed this sentiment, stating, “To see what he can do over an entire season will be fun.”
