Under the Radar: Colson Montgomery is a Stud

MLB Pipeline released their updated Top 100 Prospect rankings earlier today. As such, it feels like an appropriate occasion to use a scouting report to guide our fantasy baseball breakdown of White Sox outfielder Colson Montgomery. The former first-rounder is currently rostered in 68% of Fantrax leagues, which means managers in shallow leagues may have the opportunity to pick him up.

Believe in Colson Montgomery

Here are five excerpts from Montgomery’s MLB Pipeline scouting report, along with a breakdown of how different aspects of his game contribute to his fantasy baseball value:

Physicality

“Because he’s a physical lefty-hitting shortstop, Montgomery has drawn constant comparisons to Corey Seager.”

While not quite to the same extent as Seager did in 2015, Montgomery has shown off a knack for producing high-quality batted balls in the big leagues. Although Seager’s bat-to-ball skills led to a significantly higher xBA (per Baseball Savant), Montgomery’s xSLG (.585) and Barrel% (16.2%) are both similar to the marks Seager put up in his debut season.

Montgomery certainly has a physical edge over most shortstops. Standing at 6’3, 230 lbs, he ranks 11th in bat speed (76.9 MPH) among all players with at least 200 swings this season. The ten hitters ahead of him include Giancarlo Stanton, Oneil Cruz, Junior Caminero, Jo Adell, Nick Kurtz, Kyle Schwarber, and Jac Caglianone. Having already established himself with said company is a positive indicator for Montgomery’s future power output.

Plate Approach

“Montgomery’s approach has changed in the past two years, when he has become much more focused on launching balls in the air to his pull side.”

Chicago’s budding star certainly hasn’t changed his approach in the big leagues. There are only four hitters this season (min. 70 BIP) for whom pulled fly balls and line drives have accounted for at least 30% of their balls in play.

Two of those hitters – Isaac Parades and Rhys Hoskins – have an average exit velocity under 95 MPH on said batted balls. Cal Raleigh and Montgomery, however, both have average exit velocities over 97 MPH on pulled fly balls and line drives. The former leads MLB in home runs and has a .938 OPS this season.

Pulling balls in the air has long been a recipe for home run production, which comes as no surprise. Managers in rotisserie leagues who are lacking in home runs should be excited about Montgomery, given he’s knocked 10 homers in just 125 big-league plate appearances. That is a 40-homer pace over a full season. For what it’s worth, Corey Seager only hit four home runs in 113 plate appearances in 2015.

Plate Discipline

“His swing decisions regressed last season.”

It’s easy to make a comparison between Montgomery and Corey Seager when one focuses on their power ceilings. Seager, however, has near-perfect plate discipline. While a 20th-percentile whiff rate this year has led to a 20.4% strikeout rate (roughly league-average), Seager owns a 96th-percentile walk rate (13.6%) and very rarely chases offerings outside the strike zone.

Montgomery’s most significant struggles come from whiffing and chasing pitches outside the strike zone. His chase rate on both breaking and offspeed pitches is well north of 40%, and his 33.2% whiff rate will need to improve if he wants to reach his all-around offensive potential. Until then, his offensive profile will likely be similar to that of Jo Adell. Slashing .250/.320/.450 with 25 home runs next season certainly isn’t out of the question for Montgomery, but a high strikeout rate could limit his potential – especially in points leagues.

Pitch Recognition

“He still has 30-homer pop and draws his share of walks.”

Montgomery’s raw power is evident. But given his 33.2% chase rate this season, one would be justified in wondering if his on-base ability will take a significant hit in the big leagues.

Like most players in their debut season, Montgomery has had difficulty against high-quality breaking balls. His on-base floor is something to keep an eye on, given he had 246 strikeouts and just 88 walks at Triple-A across 2024 and 2025.

As Montgomery’s pitch recognition improves – and it will almost certainly will, as he gains more experience, so will his on-base percentage. While he may never draw walks at an above-average clip, his power ceiling makes the trade-off worth it for fantasy managers in rotisserie leagues.

Positional Value

“Chicago believes he’ll stay at shortstop despite his size.”

Shortstops with legitimate power are a valuable commodity in fantasy baseball. Last season, shortstops hit 570 home runs. That mark was lower than that of all three outfield positions, as well as first base.

Montgomery’s build and bat speed – which usually lend themselves well to an outfield or corner infield position – give him an extremely high power ceiling. As his MLB Pipeline scouting report mentioned, he could be a 30-homer hitter. Only five shortstops reached the 30-home run mark in 2024: Gunnar Henderson, Francisco Lindor, Willy Adames, Bobby Witt Jr., and Corey Seager.

Since July 22, Montgomery’s 10 home runs are tied for the most in MLB with Kyle Schwarber and Shea Langeliers. He has twice as many home runs as second-ranked shortstop Anthony Volpe, who has knocked five dingers over the same timeframe.

Montgomery is a very talented hitter with a high offensive ceiling. Despite his pitch recognition struggles, he has been one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball over the past three weeks. As he improves his plate discipline and whiff rate, he has a strong chance to emerge as one of MLB’s best power-hitting shortstops.

Remember to check back next week for more Under the Radar Content and Analysis.