Colson Montgomery did more than surprise White Sox fans with his strong rookie season — he caught the attention of several MLB analysts.
Each year, MLB ranks the Top 10 rookies based on their long-term
value to their organizations, and this year Montgomery was No. 7 on the list. Ironically, this year is the first time a Sox player received such accolades since 2021, when none other than Andrew Vaughn was ranked at No. 8. Luis Robert Jr. was No. 1 in 2020, and Eloy Jiménez reached No. 4 in 2019.
Montgomery’s strong summer certainly warrants national attention. He slugged .529, drove in 55 runs, and slammed 21 home runs in just 71 games. His 3.3 WAR in less than half the season is significant alone, but contrasting that with his early-season struggles in Triple-A only makes his rookie success even sweeter.
Although listing Montgomery, Vaughn, Robert, Jiménez in the same breath may elicit some concern, there are two ways to digest this information. The first would be to assume that Sox rookies are doomed for failure within the organization. This doom-and-gloom mentality may be based in fact, but placing the blame solely on the players would be a mistake. The second approach would be to decouple Chicago’s ability to identify talent with its ability to develop players — specifically position players.
Among the hundreds of drafted players and international free agents every year, the Sox have correctly identified at least four players who have been impactful to an MLB organization at least once in their career. While their long-term success is still fairly questionable, especially with Jiménez’s injury issues and Robert’s performance issues in the last two years, much of the responsibility falls on the player development team. The Sox still have yet to prove they can unlock a prospect’s talent for more than half of their first six years in the league — but Montgomery may be their chance to do so.
Hats off to Montgomery for a strong rookie season. But now the Sox must fulfill continuously help him grow and improve, rather than throw their hands up and trade him to a team that can.
