Montgomery (HR, triple) keeping all eyes on him in White Sox camp

MESA, Ariz. -- The goal for Braden Montgomery seemingly is to break camp with the White Sox.

Actually, MLB Pipeline’s No. 36 prospect overall and the No. 1 White Sox prospect should have his target set on getting to the Majors as soon as possible. General manager Chris Getz already has stated the switch-hitting outfielder will start the 2026 season in the Minors.

But after homering and tripling during a 5-1 victory over the Cubs at Sloan Park Sunday, the White Sox second intracity win in two tries in Arizona, Montgomery listed a more grandiose baseball goal in line with his meticulous preparation and abundance of talent. The 22-year-old eventually wants to be a Hall of Famer.

“I’ll take it a day at a time,” a smiling Montgomery said after hitting one of four White Sox home runs. “We’ll see what happens at the end of it. We’ll see what happens when you’re goal-oriented and you take a pitch at a time, a second at a time.”

Montgomery connected off a 1-1 sweeper from Shota Imanaga with two outs in the second, one of three long balls hit against the Cubs southpaw. The drive to left traveled 375 feet with a 107.7 mph exit velocity, according to Statcast.

His triple in the sixth against Luke Little seemed even harder hit, although Statcast listed the exit velocity at 101.9 mph. The ball carried over the head of right fielder Michael Conforto, and Montgomery glided around the bases to third.

“Those triples always feel better because you get to go off to the races,” Montgomery said. “All eyes on you and you get to see what you can do.

“Being able to see these guys on the diamond that you’ve been seeing on TV and on videos all over, it’s really cool. It’s even cooler to compartmentalize. I’m part of that now. But it’s still a little bit of an adjustment. … Obviously I’m not going to look at myself in any different way because I’ve been me forever.”

Training for Montgomery comes in very detailed form, as he explained looking at different hitting situations and specific pitches in different hitting situations beyond the normal every day Cactus League work. After coming from the Red Sox as part of the four-player trade return for Garrett Crochet, Montgomery slashed .270/.360/.444 with 12 homers, 34 doubles, 68 RBIs and 14 stolen bases across three Minor League stops during the ‘25 season.

He added another home run, 11 RBIs and three stolen bases during an impressive 12-game stint with Glendale in the Arizona Fall League. It’s all work and production getting him closer to the Majors -- or in Montgomery’s case, getting him closer to that ultimate goal.

“Ever since I watched Derek Jeter play, I knew I wanted to be in the big leagues,” Montgomery said. “Probably around 10 or 11 years old, I knew I wanted to be the best to play baseball.

“Obviously it’s not even day one of my big league career yet, but I take it day by day. If I can stack good days on good days, I’m sure the results at the end of it will be something I can live with.”