White Sox fans were quick to pounce Monday night after John Schriffen called Braden Montgomery’s season “outstanding” during the club’s loss to the Cubs. The reaction came fast on Twitter, and the debate centered on whether the broadcaster had gone too far in praising the rookie outfielder.
The backlash makes sense on one level. Schriffen has already drawn plenty of criticism since the White Sox hired him in 2024, and not every complaint about his timing or tone is off base.
But taking that one word and turning it into a referendum on Montgomery’s season misses the bigger picture. The numbers may not jump off the page, yet there’s more going on here than a plain stat line suggests.
Entering Tuesday, Montgomery had 206 at bats and was hitting .238/.331/.374 with four home runs. That’s not the profile of a star production machine, and nobody is handing out hardware for those raw totals. Even so, his .705 OPS has been serviceable, and his impact has shown up in ways that don’t always live in the box score.
One of those areas is clutch hitting. Montgomery has been one of the more dependable bats in key spots for the White Sox, ranking fifth on the team in Fangraph’s Clutch Rating behind Andrew Benintendi, Tristan Peters, Munetaka Murakami, and Randal Grichuk.
All four of those players have been around longer, which makes Montgomery’s place on that list even more notable. He’s also shown solid hard-hit numbers and a decent eye at the plate; the next step is obvious enough - make more contact and get the bat speed up.
His value isn’t limited to offense, either. Montgomery has held up well in right field, where he has 2 OAA, good for the 77th percentile at the position.
His arm is also viewed favorably, and his above-average speed gives him a well-rounded profile. For a 23-year-old in his first big league season, that leaves plenty of runway for growth.
The split against lefties is the area that stands out most as a concern. Montgomery has been much better against right-handed pitching this season, posting a .779 OPS, while his mark against southpaws sits at .524. He’s traditionally been stronger batting left-handed, but he’ll need to tighten up that gap if he wants to avoid sliding into a platoon role down the line.
None of that means the season has been perfect. It hasn’t.
But it does mean there’s a real case for calling what Montgomery has done encouraging, and maybe even more than that. With speed, defense and power upside in the mix, he’s already looking like one of the most intriguing young hitters in the White Sox organization.
He’s not finished product yet, but saying he hasn’t stood out would be selling him short.
In Other News...
White Sox Top Prospect Could Change Their Shortstop Timeline
Roch Cholowsky gives the White Sox a different kind of shortstop conversation to monitor after the draft. Selected first overall in 2026 following an outstanding college career, he arrives with the kind of pedigree and polish that usually move quickly, and the organization is expected to push him through the farm system with an eye on Double-A by early next season.
Colson Montgomerys uneven 2026 season has only sharpened the focus on what comes next at the position, even if nothing about a top prospects arrival guarantees an immediate shift. Cholowsky still has development to do before he is part of the major league picture, but his trajectory already makes him a name White Sox fans will want to track closely as the shortstop future starts to come into view. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Have A New Reason To Watch Murakami Closely
The latest Hitter Power Rankings have a few familiar names near the top, but for White Sox fans, the more interesting development is the presence of Murakami in the mix. In a list driven by recent performance trends rather than any transaction buzz, he has worked his way into the conversation alongside some of baseballs most productive bats, which is enough to keep Chicagos attention fixed in his direction.
Murakamis stock has been rising for a while, and the ranking only adds another layer to the interest around him. The appeal from a White Sox perspective is obvious, even if nothing is imminent: when a player keeps showing up in these kinds of evaluations, every new performance becomes part of the scouting file, and this one gives the club another reason to watch closely. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Were In The Mix For Pitching Help Fans Know Well
The Phillies spent deadline week looking for rotation help, but when no trade came together they turned to the market and landed Nestor Cortes on a Major League deal through the 2026 season. Philadelphia had already decided to stick with its current pitching group, including Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola, before pivoting to the former Yankee, a move that added another experienced arm to a staff trying to steady itself for the stretch run.
For the White Sox, Cortes landing in Philadelphia is the latest reminder of how wide the market was for a pitcher with a familiar name and a track record clubs still trust. Chicago was among the teams reportedly in the mix, alongside the Yankees and Red Sox, but the Phillies won out, and the finer points of the contract and his exact role in Philly still have not been disclosed. [Read more 🡒]