SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – A 6-foot-4 shortstop, left-handed hitter with a smooth swing, handles shortstop for the Glendale Desert Dogs.
But it’s not 2013-14. It’s 2023, after all.
Montgomery hit a 111.8 mph triple down the right field line Thursday night at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, placing three runs to open the scoring for Glendale in a possible 10-9 victory. Moments earlier, if you looked quickly, it appeared he had also hit a game-tying solo home run in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. Only it wasn’t Montgomery, but rather Seager. The Chicago prodigy has long drawn comparisons to the four-time All-Star for the similarity of their lightning-fast strokes on the flat.
“Just the fact that he’s also a big shortstop, you know, and I’m a big shortstop. So just looking at the way he presets in the infield and also the way he swings and things like that. Especially being a big body, I mean, it’s not easy being 6-foot-4, playing shortstop and also being able to swing. I just watch his game and just try to take little things from it.
The present often imitates the past. In Montgomery’s case, he’s poised to potentially replace him.
Seager spent two seasons donning the black and orange cap of the Desert Dogs from 2013 to 2014. Although he was not yet 21 years old, he hit three home runs in 42 games during that span, a mark that Montgomery tied in back-to-back games last week. After his second stint with Glendale, Seager was just months away from making his big league debut in September 2015. Could a similar fate be on the horizon for Montgomery?
When the White Sox landed Montgomery with the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 draft (four picks later than Seager in 2012) out of Southridge High School in Huntingburg, Indiana, they could dream of the offensive impact wrapped in his frame.
The highest-ranked player by MLB Pipeline (No. 17 overall) present at the 2023 Arizona Fall League, has shown on multiple occasions when he drives his bat through the zone – especially on his jumper side – that he creates some serious thunder at just 21 years old. His third-inning triple is the third hardest hit ball officially recorded this season in the Fall League.
Before his sacrifice fly in the sixth, which marked his fourth run of the contest, Montgomery committed a hanging slider foul, coming off the bat at 110 mph. In his only previous outing at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (the only Statcast-equipped AFL park), he recorded two more hard-hit balls, including a 104.7 mph groundout.
While Montgomery stubbornly avoids following his advanced metrics, citing a “go up and hit the ball hard” approach, he is all ears when it comes to slight adjustments in the game or the chess match between batter and batter. launcher.
“You talk to these other guys from other organizations, and I mean, a lot of the things we talk about is approach and discipline in the strike zone,” Montgomery said, “and sometimes (pitchers) give it to you, you know what I mean? And they’re human too. It’s not like they’re going to throw strikes every time. So there are times when I make a habit of be in swing mode all the time.
An oblique injury that developed into a mid-back strain robbed Montgomery of half a season of vital development in 2023. But since his return, he’s been hit at every stop, culminating in a stint in the Fall League which sits at an impressive midpoint. Through 11 games, the Glendale shortstop has an OPS of .833 with six extra-base hits in his last five outings. This includes his first multihomer performance since high school.
The Fall League is often seen as the place where the stars of tomorrow can embark on their final challenges. A litany of talent is at your fingertips. For some, the setting might be as close to The Show as possible. But for other gifted stars, it serves as a testing ground demonstrating their willingness to seize every opportunity.
