When White Sox manager Will Venable was asked Saturday if he thinks rookie shortstop Colson Montgomery belongs in the major leagues, it was somewhat of a joking question.
After all, Montgomery has exploded onto the scene since his promotion in early July, pairing offensive success and eye-popping power with impressive defense, restoring the high hopes in the one-time top-10 prospect that dipped after a season and a half of poor results in Triple-A.
“I feel like he belongs here,” Venable said. “He looks like he belongs here. He thinks he belongs here.”
Talk about hammering home a point.
But all Venable needed to do was wait a day, when Montgomery did all the hammering for him.
The 23-year-old former first-rounder absolutely demolished a pitch 452 feet for the longest homer at Rate Field this season, the ball nearly reaching the right-field concourse, the exclamation point in a 6-4 win for the Sox over the Guardians on Sunday.
“That was one of the farthest ones I’ve hit in my career,” Montgomery said, “so I watched it a little bit. I just felt like it was a little motivation and momentum for the guys. I wanted to get the guys fired up.
“I try to not show much emotion, but I was trying to get the guys fired up.”
Mission accomplished.
Second baseman Lenyn Sosa described the blast as “unthinkable.” Starting pitcher Davis Martin called it “beautiful.”
It was the latest act in Montgomery’s impressive rise, something that didn’t look too realistic as he got off to another woeful start in Triple-A earlier this year. He batted just .149 in his first 23 games, spurring the Sox to send him for 1-on-1 tutoring with hitting director Ryan Fuller in Arizona.
The lessons learned on that trip straightened Montgomery out, and he posted a .926 OPS over the following 32 games, enough for the Sox to pull the trigger on a major league promotion.
Since arriving in the bigs, he’s got nine homers, 25 RBIs, 15 runs scored and an .853 OPS. All nine of his homers and all but two of his RBIs have come since the All-Star break.
“I would say I’m pretty comfortable,” Montgomery said. “It’s just everything I do before the game to get myself prepared. … My coaches prepare me really well, so when I go out to the game all I have to do is let my ability take over.”
That success, surprising if you followed his disappointing output in the minors, might have something to do with more than just mechanics and swing decisions. Montgomery admitted last year that his 2024 struggles caused frequent frustration, hinting at the emotional and mental effects the game so often creates.
Maybe no longer worrying about reaching the major leagues has been part of the key to finding success in the major leagues.
“You get players that get so much prospect attention, they’re at the top of the rankings,” general manager Chris Getz said Friday, “and maintaining that status is a difficult thing. And once you’re knocking on the door and trying to get over the hump and break into the major leagues, there’s an added element of stress that comes with that.
“I do believe that him coming up here has freed him up and allowed him to be the player we knew he could be.”
Montgomery agrees.
“Now I’m just here playing,” Montgomery said. “This is fun. This is why I’m here. This is where I wanted to be, and when I got up here, it’s all that weight lifted off my shoulders.”
Montgomery’s breakout has refueled optimism that he can be a franchise cornerstone as Getz attempts to construct a winner through his rebuilding project.
The offensive firepower and great glove work on the infield has, at least temporarily, answered questions stemming from poor minor league production and longstanding wonder about Montgomery’s defensive position.
Right now, he’s a middle-of-the-order major league shortstop, where the Sox would like to see him for years to come.