A sense of optimism should surround the Chicago White Sox for the second half, as they can “start over” and see what their young core can do. There are many players in that core, and still to come, who can help the White Sox get back to being a winning ballclub.
There’s one player in that core who sticks out among the others, who could help or hurt the White Sox’s chances of succeeding in the second half, and that’s 23-year-old shortstop Colson Montgomery. Montgomery has had quite the season, which has seen its share of ups and downs, but has thankfully landed him in the big leagues, and now he can try to find his footing with an extended look at shortstop in the second half.
An up-and-down year for the Chicago White Sox’s young shortstop
This season has not gone as Montgomery had planned, but he ultimately made his way up to the big leagues, even though it looked like he wouldn’t be up until September. Montgomery was the front-runner to be the White Sox’s Opening Day shortstop until he hit a rough patch at the plate in spring training, which led to him getting optioned to Charlotte.
Sadly, Montgomery allowed those struggles to continue while with the Knights, which prompted the White Sox to send him to Arizona for a full reset with their hitting director, Ryan Fuller. Fuller’s changes to Montgomery’s swing helped him succeed once he returned to Charlotte and led to his being called up on July 4th.
Since joining the White Sox, Montgomery has played in 10 games and had 28 at-bats, where he’s hitting .250/.382/.321 for an OPS of .703. Montgomery only has one extra base hit, which was a triple (also his first big league hit), and he has not hit a double or a home run in his 35 plate appearances.
The White Sox need a successful Colson Montgomery in the second half
For the White Sox to be successful in the second half, they need all their young guys to perform, but they need Montgomery to perform more than the rest. MLB.com’s Scott Merkin wrote that for the White Sox rebuild to be a success moving forward, Montgomery needs to be who they thought he’d be for it to work.
Merkin on Montgomery’s success via MLB.com:
“It’s been a full season for the No. 5 White Sox prospect and No. 95 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and there are still 65 games remaining. Montgomery fought his way through struggles with Triple-A Charlotte and a reset in Arizona to earn a big-league promotion on July 4. He came into Pittsburgh with just two singles in his last 18 at-bats, following a 5-for-10 start, meaning the skilled left-handed hitter once again will have to adjust to the adjustments being made against him. Montgomery’s success is a big part for this rebuild moving forward.”
The White Sox will give Montgomery a lot of leeway in the second half to find his footing, with the bulk of his playing time coming as their starting shortstop. Montgomery could be a third baseman long-term with his build and power, but for now, he’ll have time to figure things out over at shortstop.
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