Colson Montgomery’s strong rookie season has earned him national recognition.
The White Sox shortstop was featured on MLB Network’s recently unveiled “Top 100 Players Right Now” list, where he ranked No. 88 overall. It marks the first time that a South Sider has been acknowledged since 2024, when both Luis Robert Jr. (No. 27) and Dylan Cease (No. 92) made the cut.
At just 23 years old, Montgomery managed to turn in one of the more compelling rookie campaigns by a White Sox prospect in quite some time. After failing to make the Opening Day roster and struggling in Triple-A during the early Spring, Montgomery was sent to Arizona to work on his swing with Ryan Fuller. The adjustments made helped propel the former first-rounder to a big-league promotion on July 4 and brought sustained success for the remainder of the season.
Over his first 71 major-league games, Montgomery slashed .239/.311/.529 with a 129 wRC+ and .840 OPS. The highly touted prospect’s 21 home runs were second most on the team, while his 55 RBI were fourth best. Factoring in his excellent defensive play at shortstop as well, the breakout campaign led Montgomery to a fifth-place finish in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Early 2026 projections by Fangraphs Depth Chart have the Indiana native coming back down to earth just a bit with a .221/.299/.418 slash, 27 home runs, and 78 RBI over 139 games. Though it remains to be seen how the shortstop truly handles his sophomore season, Montgomery’s impressive first year has at least eased long-standing concerns about his bat, proving that he will be a factor in the team’s future plans.
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