White Sox top-ranked prospect gearing for impact in the South Side at Fall League

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Braden Montgomery is one of the best right-field prospects in baseball. The 12th overall pick in the 2024 Draft, he's a switch-hitter with well above-average power and arm strength.

Ranked No. 35 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100, Montgomery features at least average hitting ability, speed and defensive ability. He also drew scouting interest as a pitcher earlier in his amateur career, running his fastball up to 96 mph and missing bats with a low-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup.

Rather than trying to model his game after any particular big leaguer, he tries to pick up nuances from many of them.

"I like watching the superstars and the best of best to see the small details on what they do," said Montgomery, who's playing with the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League. "Like maybe seeing a pre-pitch movement or a preset in the box or something like that. I like watching all the best guys.

"I like watching Mookie [Betts] and how his hands work. I like watching Aaron Judge and his effortless pop. I like Shohei [Ohtani] and his torque. I like picking up and looking at tiny pieces of all the guys because I understand that everyone's big picture is going to be different."

Montgomery had a different introduction to pro ball than most players, getting traded before making his pro debut. His junior season at Texas A&M ended when he broke his right ankle on a bad slide during the NCAA super regionals, so he couldn't play after signing with the Red Sox for $5 million in July 2024. Five months later, he went to the White Sox along with Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman González in a Winter Meetings trade for Garrett Crochet.

"It was super surprising because I was coming off an injury and so I was anticipating that if I was selected, they would at least want to see me play, but I understand that it was a very unique situation at the big league level," Montgomery said. "I mean trades are really crazy stuff, but I also didn't set roots so much that it was a life-changing thing. It's not like I was planning what housing I wanted in Boston or what life there was going to be like. So it was, I'm just glad to be able to throw on a jersey and be able to play ball."

Montgomery began the season in Single-A and ended it in Double-A, where he was part of a Southern League championship club at Birmingham. He batted .270/.360/.444 with 12 homers and 14 steals in 121 games between the three stops. After struggling from the right side of the plate in college, he addressed those concerns by slashing .261/.336/.539 as a righty this summer.

Following a record 121 losses in 2024, the White Sox improved by 19 victories this year while bringing talented young players such as Colson Montgomery, Teel, Edgar Quero, Shane Smith, Mike Vasil and Meidroth to the Majors. Braden Montgomery -- no relation to Colson -- is on course to arrive in the big leagues at some point in 2026. It may take another year or two, but Chicago is assembling the pieces for a contender.

"I like being a part of winning teams, winning cultures and so it's great to see players that love the same thing," Montgomery said. "I mean you watch Sam Antonacci play, you know that that guy wants to win no matter what. He wants to do everything in his power to do that and we've got a bunch of guys like that in our organization, so it's cool to see. It's even cooler to be a part of and I'm hoping that that leads to bigger implications in the future."

White Sox hitters in the Fall League

Sam Antonacci, 2B/3B (No. 11): Antonacci's advanced bat-to-ball skills enabled him to hit .291/.433/.409 with 48 steals in 116 games while reaching Double-A in his first full pro season. The 2024 fifth-rounder from Coastal Carolina is more of a savvy baserunner than a speedster, and his instincts help him play above his physical tools.

Ryan Galanie, 1B: Drafted in the 13th round out of Wofford in 2023, Galanie doesn't have a standout tool but did rank seventh in the Minors this year with 94 RBIs. He slashed .276/.327/.422 with 11 homers and 14 steals in 119 games between High-A and Double-A.

White Sox pitchers in the Fall League

Hagen Smith, LHP (No. 5/MLB No. 88): Smith set an NCAA Division I record for strikeout rate (17.3 per nine innings) at Arkansas in 2024 before the White Sox selected him fifth overall that July. His stuff was down a bit during his first full pro season, with his fastball sitting at 92-96 mph and his slider, his best offering, operating at 81-84. He still posted a 3.57 ERA with a .166 opponent average and 108 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings in Double-A, albeit with 56 walks.

Tyler Davis, RHP: Signed out of the independent Pioneer League in 2024, Davis logged a 3.17 ERA with a .198 opponent average and 64 strikeouts in 54 innings in Double-A. He parks at 94-96 mph and touches 99 with his fastball, backing it up with a mid-80s slider and changeup.

Carson Jacobs, RHP: Jacobs provides an intimidating presence on the mound with his 6-foot-9 build, a mid-90s fastball that reaches 99 mph and an upper-80s slider and splitter. A nondrafted free agent signed in 2023 out of North Dakota State, he compiled a 4.53 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A while also issuing 39 walks.

Connor McCullough, RHP: Another nondrafted free agent, McCullough signed out of Kansas State in 2022. He returned from Tommy John surgery to record a 3.43 ERA with a .195 opponent average and 39 strikeouts in 42 innings between Rookie ball, High-A and Double-A. He works with a low-90s fastball and his mid-80s changeup is his best offering.

Jarold Rosado, RHP: Acquired from the Royals in a July 2024 trade for Paul DeJong, Rosado logged a 4.45 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A while also missing six weeks with an illness. He features an interesting three-pitch mix with a 93-95 mph fastball that touches 97, as well as a low-80s slider and mid-80s changeup that can miss plenty of bats when he locates them well.