Colson Montgomery drove in a run with a single to right field in the first inning Saturday against Memphis. It was the start of a three-hit day for the 2021 first-round draft pick.
Montgomery had two more hits, including a home run, and two RBIs on Sunday for Triple-A Charlotte.
Those were good signs in a tough season at the plate for the No. 2-rated prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization.
Montgomery is slashing .210/.328/.375 with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs in 106 games with the Knights.
“We can all agree, Colson has struggled a little bit offensively for the first time in his career,” director of player development Paul Janish said Monday. “I give him a lot of credit for the defense he’s played this year despite struggling offensively, he’s played a good defensive shortstop.
“But Colson is still very open about talking about the fact he hasn’t performed as well as he knows he can. And he’s still very intent on being a very good Major League player. We’re expecting that and are fully supportive of him.”
Janish provided updates on several prospects on Monday.
In Montgomery’s case, Janish said the Sox “want to be really intentional about not being in a big rush with Colson. We need to do what is best for Colson.”
“He’s still showing up every single day, he’s still working hard, from a mentality standpoint still in a good place with regards to ‘I understand I’m not playing as well as I can,’” Janish said. “That said, he knows he’s a good player. He knows he wants to be a good major-league player. He had some offensive struggles at Charlotte, but we’ll look back and highlight it as a positive.”
Noah Schultz lowers his Double-A ERA to 1.46 after his latest @BhamBarons outing.
MLB's No. 1 LHP prospect (@whitesox) is up to 97 K's in 76 2/3 IP during his first full season of pro ball. pic.twitter.com/Vl4L25OH5E
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 25, 2024
One of the biggest positives for the organization’s top-ranked prospect Noah Schultz has been health. The left-hander from Oswego East has a 2.35 ERA in 20 starts between Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham.
“He’s had a great year,” Janish said. “He’s done exactly what he needed to do.”
The team’s first-round pick in 2022, Schultz has 97 strikeouts and 21 walks in 76 2/3 innings. He’s pitched a maximum of four innings in most of his outings.
“This year that was intentional, he was only going to throw four innings every outing,” Janish said. “Long-term plan, the preparation to set him up for success over the course of time.
“Physically, he’s still developing. He’s throwing strikes, he’s throwing his breaking ball for a strike. He’s getting, relatively speaking, high-level hitters out. It’s very safe to say he’s going to be stronger in two years than he is right now physically. That’s still part of his development.”
This year’s first-round draft pick Hagen Smith took the next step in his development Saturday, striking out four and allowing two hits in three scoreless innings during his first start for Winston-Salem.
Smith is the No. 3 prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com.
“I’ve been really impressed with Hagen,” Janish said. “With him, it’s a big-picture thing. He just got drafted and is new to the organization. Overall long-term health and durability at this point will be the difference between him being really, really good and us being frustrated with him from the standpoint of injuries.
“That’s the main thing at this point. Get him accustomed to the pro schedule, he’ll pitch a few times at Winston before the end of the year and we’ll see what that holds in terms of planning his offseason, leading to his offseason and planning for spring training for the buildup of not just next year but the next five, six, seven years.”
Janish said infielder Jacob Gonzalez, the team’s first-round pick in 2023, is “doing exactly what he needs to.”
Gonzalez, rated the No. 12 prospect in the Sox system, has a .245 average in 118 games between Winston-Salem and Birmingham.
“He did have a little stretch where he struggled, it looks like he’s getting going,” Janish said. “Hopefully he’ll be able to finish this season strong. But to give him credit, he’s played really good defense. He’s played every day, which I place a lot of value on for a guy who at some point you want to come here and play. He posts. I value that.”
Downers Grove North’s George Wolkow, the team’s seventh-round pick in 2023, has impressed with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs in 81 games between the Arizona Complex League White Sox and Class-A Kannapolis. He’s the No. 7 prospect in the organization.
“It’s hard for me to convey to you guys how much he’s shown us in a short period of time in regards to the ability to adapt and take in information and apply it,” Janish said. “He’s a young guy (18). Physically, he’s big and strong, and he’s hit some balls in Kannapolis that are as impressive as anybody can do.
“The thing I like about him is he’s completely open. He wants to learn, he wants to get good. He wants to play here, he wants to be in the big leagues. He forewent a lot to go straight into professional baseball because he wants to be a major-league player, which I think says a lot about the makeup. He’s just been impressive up to this point.”
Sox designate reliever John Brebbia for assignment
The Sox made four roster moves before Tuesday’s game against the Texas Rangers at Guaranteed Rate Field, including designating reliever John Brebbia for assignment.
They also added infielder Jacob Amaya to the 26-man roster, recalled pitcher Prelander Berroa from Triple-A Charlotte and optioned infielder Bryan Ramos to Charlotte.
Brebbia, who signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal in the offseason, is 0-6 with a 6.29 ERA in a team-leading 54 appearances this season.
