Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery put his name in the record book on Thursday, and not in the kind of way any hitter wants.
Montgomery finished 0-for-4 in Chicago’s 9-1 win over the Royals and struck out once, giving him 223 strikeouts on the season. That total pushed him past Adam Dunn’s White Sox single-season mark of 222 and also tied the MLB all-time single-season record set by Mark Reynolds.
Even with that ugly number attached to his line, Montgomery has not been empty at the plate. He fits the two-true outcomes mold, with 31 home runs and 87 RBIs this season, though his overall production has still been dragged down by a .696 OPS. His 31 homers rank eighth in the American League.
The bat comes with plenty of volatility, but Montgomery’s defense has helped balance things out. He owns a plus-10 fielding run value, which puts him in the top 10% of MLB, and his 11 outs above average place him in the top 3%.
That mix makes him one of the strangest offensive profiles in the game right now. It also leaves the door open for a much better version of Montgomery if he can sharpen his plate discipline.
Montgomery’s rise has been quick. He debuted in 2025 just before the All-Star break and got into 71 games before season’s end.
In that stretch, he flashed real upside, hitting 21 homers and driving in 55 runs. The strikeouts were still part of the package, but he also posted a .840 OPS and a .311 on-base percentage.
Because he came up late, Montgomery wasn’t eligible for awards like Rookie of the Year or Silver Slugger. Still, he earned a place on the Baseball America Major League All-Rookie Team.
That rookie season showed why the White Sox are so intrigued by him. If Montgomery can clean up the strikeout problem before the 2027 season, he could be a major piece for Chicago as the postseason-bound White Sox look to stay in the mix with their young core.
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