Colson Montgomery Walks Off Angels in Full Circle Anniversary Moment
On April 29, 2025, the Chicago White Sox announced that shortstop Colson Montgomery , a former first-round pick by the team, the No. 4 ranked prospect in the organization, and the No. 36 overall prospect in baseball, would be taking a step back from game action and heading to the team's spring training complex in Arizona to work on his swing.
It was just one year prior that Montgomery was considered Top 10 prospect in the sport. But after a mediocre 2024 campaign in Triple-A Charlotte and a miserable start to the 2025 season that had him batting just .149 with an OPS of .478 over his first 23 games, the White Sox decided that action was necessary.
Of course, any White Sox fan knows how the story goes from there. Montgomery spent a few weeks down in Arizona working with White Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller and even appeared in a few Complex League games before rejoining the lineup in Triple-A and rediscovering his swing.
By July 4, Montgomery had been called up by the White Sox to make his MLB debut. He then proceeded to hit 21 home runs with 49 RBIs over his final 57 games of the season, finishing fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and establishing himself as one of the best young shortstops in baseball.
The 2026 season has already had its ups and downs, but overall, it has been more of the same for Montgomery. Through 31 games, his OPS sits right in line with last year at .831. He has eight home runs and 21 RBIs, putting him on pace for 41 and 109 in the power department. Montgomery has also been playing a very good defensive shortstop, making him Chicago’s fWAR leader at 1.3 as the calendar flips to May.
He is one of 26 players in baseball with at least 1.3 fWAR this season.
And in the final game of April, Colson Montgomery reached another career milestone.
He lined an RBI walk-off single to center field off Angels reliever Drew Pomeranz on Wednesday afternoon, bringing home Miguel Vargas and securing a 3-2 victory for the White Sox along with a series sweep. It locked up a 13-13 record for Chicago in the month of April.
That marked the first walk-off hit of Montgomery’s MLB career. Poetically, it came on the anniversary of the White Sox announcing that he would be pulled from game action and sent to Arizona.
Not a bad way to celebrate an anniversary, and a pretty remarkable reminder of what a difference a calendar year can make.
Perhaps there is a lesson in all of this for baseball fans everywhere. Montgomery is a bit of an anomaly, and his comeback story is special because of how unique it is. But it also serves as a reminder of how much can change for a young and talented player, and just how volatile development can be.
Because one year ago, it looked like Colson Montgomery might never make a major league roster. Now he is 102 games into his career with 29 home runs and 76 RBIs.
So when you look at a player like Jacob Gonzalez , a former first-rounder who is having a breakout campaign in Triple-A Charlotte this season, remember Colson Montgomery and the idea that what might feel like fool’s gold can turn out to be real.
And when you see a player like Edgar Quero struggling and a potential demotion looming , remember that he just turned 23 years old, and it is far from too late for him to learn from his struggles and build a strong career in a White Sox uniform.
Colson Montgomery remains the gold standard. Every day he starts at shortstop for the White Sox, and every day he helps them win, it serves as a reminder of the beauty of baseball and the reality that anything can happen.
