Colson Montgomery has arrived

[The Mighty Mite]

2 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

GM’s will do it all the time to save money and it makes sense, especially with an owner as frugal as JR.  Hahn just had the unfortunate luck of doing it with three of the lamest players in history.  Once they got that green, they weren’t very motivated.

To me Moncada had no idea what the word motivation meant, I wasn’t a fan of his from day one, in fact he was one of my least favorite Sox players ever.

[Lip Man 1]

40 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Who cares? They need bodies to play the games at Charlotte. I'm not sure why we need to feel deep shame over every aspect of every roster move. Capra's off the 26-man. Hooray!! 

I'll all for them staying in Charlotte. The problem is they never do and make their way back to the big league roster where they can continue to suck. 😉

[poppysox]

2 hours ago, SoxBlanco said:

 

I love this stuff.

[pcq]

4 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

 

Some believe Montgomery could take off at the big league level after dealing with true on-field struggles for the first time in his career. His chance begins at Coors Field.

“He was always a superstar and he still is a superstar in my eyes and in our eyes,” Jirschele said. “Just going through those failures and watching him grow as a person, as a human being, as a competitor, and understanding like, ‘Ok, what do I need to do to turn the page on this and get better from it and learn from it?’ It’s the right way going about it.”

“Even in the clubhouse, even in the early work, even during batting practice, some of the body language stuff that we can get from guys that they’re telling you some things about where their head’s at, how they’re feeling, those kinds of things,” White Sox director of player development Paul Janish said. “Colson is in a good place. He expects success right now, which is exciting.”

More Jirschele:  “He’s a really good teammate. He brings energy. He has an infectious smile about him. He just creates a vibe where he makes people better. He makes his teammates better. When he’s around them, guys gravitate toward him. Everything that his aura brings to a clubhouse, it’s infectious.”

merkin mlb.com

YBS

[Autumn Dreamin]

As someone who watches unreasonable amounts of Sox MiLB and has seen Colson play at every level including AFL, I think this is the right move. 

The spot where they rushed him was from AA to Charlotte. I think playing on that first half Barons team last year for even a month or two would have been better for him, and I'm pretty convinced that he would have been up before now if he did. Championship aside, there was a group of prospects clearly developing winning ways together with no one shouldering the task of needing to be "the guy" every night.

When he went to Charlotte instead, it was a team much more (forgive the pun) barren of that "next core" feeling which I think made him internalize a sense that he needed to hurry up and come be the franchise savior by himself. You're the top bat on the farm, you're bubbling up national lists, things in Chicago are miserable, they need you ASAP. Hitting in Charlotte is easy so this should basically be perfunctory, just rack up some numbers and we'll see you in September!

Then you get a guy who had been breaking records for consecutive games on base swinging like he needed to hit the baseball from Charlotte into Lake Michigan to justify where he was at.

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he finishes the season with an MLB slash better than his Charlotte one. Also wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't. Cags has a 14 WRC+ ~100 ABs in to his first taste of the bigs; PCA (hate him, but he's good) was slashing .188/.238/.271 coming into July last season. 

Would I like to see another couple weeks of great AAA production? Sure, obviously wouldn't hurt. But I think there's something to be gained from getting him up here while he's hot, getting him away from the sense that the next 1-10 stretch puts him another month away with not many months to go, with the ASB not far away if he does need a breather ten days in, and with the post-deadline freedom of a rebuilding team right on the horizon after that.

If he struggles in the bigs, it's a new struggle and one that is basically expected. He'll be one of several rookies up here that can relate to that struggle, compared to on an island in Charlotte as a top prospect slumping in AAA. Even being sent down again with an MLB to do list would have a sense of progress to it (shouldn't happen really, they should have no shortage of ABs to give after the deadline).

There's just less pressure for his first 100 ABs up here with the other young guys than there would be for his next 100 ABs in Charlotte in a way that I think lets him get back to himself mentally.

Sorry for rambling, but I'm still high on the kid. Hope he crushes it.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

12 hours ago, Timmy U said:

I would dump Noda and have Vargas and Sosa cover first base. Vinnie Capra can grab some starts at short against tough righties. Noda is useless. 

Noda got about 1/2 the ABs Elko did. -3 bWar for both. Gets on base more because he walks more. K rate for Noda might be worse as are several other offensive categories for a guy who faces mostly RHP as a LHH compared to Elko who mostly faced RHP as a RHH. So the Sox actually got worse offensively except for a little better OBP trading in Elko for Noda offensively . 

It's was just Getz throwing spaghetti at a wall to see if it stuck. It didn't.

Edited July 4 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[SoxBlanco]

2 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

All closers blow some games.  In a White Sox uniform, Hendriks had 76 saves in 86 opportunities for an 88% save percentage.

I’m so proud of you. I didn’t know you were capable of saying something positive. 

[greg775]

Congrats to the poster who called this. Said bring him up this weekend, no pressure in Colorado. I predict he may just play this series then go back to the minors.

However if. he sticks this is a huge moment. An actual good player joins the team to go with a few others like Meidroth and Vargas and Elko and Teel n Quero. Go Sox.

Edited July 4 by greg775

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

17 minutes ago, greg775 said:

Congrats to the poster who called this. Said bring him up this weekend, no pressure in Colorado. I predict he may just play this series then go back to the minors.

However if. he sticks this is a huge moment. An actual good player joins the team to go with a few others like Meidroth and Vargas and Elko and Teel n Quero. Go Sox.

Elko is in the minors now but Baldwin has decent upside like a young Benintendi but can play more positions with a little more repetition . Doesn't have the pedigree of Benintendi but they might have similar power. 

Edited July 4 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

9 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

"It's just another safe reason  for people who need to be right,more reasons to feel good about themselves based on other people's failures. If he does poorly, like most prospects, they get to feel vindicated . See it was stupid. No, it's what happens with most prospects. If he has a good series in Colorado the whiners can safely claim small sample size and lick their jobs with his 1st 0 for 10 with 6 Ks. It's as if they want him to fail. Too much good press. It's like with Vargas since he's cooled down. The safe play is to say you don't believe in him because you don't really believe in anything Sox related."

 

Cali-what development "huge wins" on the position player side have they had since 2005-06?

It's basically Carlos Quentin Alexei Ramirez Jose Abreu Luis Robert and Tim Anderson.  And only one of these guys was truly homegrown.

Realistically, it's only Tim Anderson, because they missed on their evaluations of Semien and Tatis Jr., even if they did successfully identify them in the first place.

With that consistent lack of success...with the bottom quintile budget and bottom quintile stadium (or worse), wouldn't any objective/realistic/pragmatic Sox fan have reason to now be skeptical, especially with the recent "mistakes" on Konnor Griffin/Cags as well as Vaughn Burger (he actually looks like a "success" by recent Sox standards) and Madrigal?

And now once again Braden and Teel who we didn't develop as much as Boston did that are the two biggest cornerstones for the future.

That question is irrelevant because it's 2025 and there are new people doing the coaching now and new players. You can't go back in time and say let's now let Walt Hriniak teach them or let's use Ryan Fuller and modern R &  D on them. 

JR put money he wanted to spend into the MLB roster payroll not into the youth. You can ask our resident journalist (Lip) about that. 

Edited July 4 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside
(Lip) can't go back in time not can

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

43 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

As someone who watches unreasonable amounts of Sox MiLB and has seen Colson play at every level including AFL, I think this is the right move. 

The spot where they rushed him was from AA to Charlotte. I think playing on that first half Barons team last year for even a month or two would have been better for him, and I'm pretty convinced that he would have been up before now if he did. Championship aside, there was a group of prospects clearly developing winning ways together with no one shouldering the task of needing to be "the guy" every night.

When he went to Charlotte instead, it was a team much more (forgive the pun) barren of that "next core" feeling which I think made him internalize a sense that he needed to hurry up and come be the franchise savior by himself. You're the top bat on the farm, you're bubbling up national lists, things in Chicago are miserable, they need you ASAP. Hitting in Charlotte is easy so this should basically be perfunctory, just rack up some numbers and we'll see you in September!

Then you get a guy who had been breaking records for consecutive games on base swinging like he needed to hit the baseball from Charlotte into Lake Michigan to justify where he was at.

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he finishes the season with an MLB slash better than his Charlotte one. Also wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't. Cags has a 14 WRC+ ~100 ABs in to his first taste of the bigs; PCA (hate him, but he's good) was slashing .188/.238/.271 coming into July last season. 

Would I like to see another couple weeks of great AAA production? Sure, obviously wouldn't hurt. But I think there's something to be gained from getting him up here while he's hot, getting him away from the sense that the next 1-10 stretch puts him another month away with not many months to go, with the ASB not far away if he does need a breather ten days in, and with the post-deadline freedom of a rebuilding team right on the horizon after that.

If he struggles in the bigs, it's a new struggle and one that is basically expected. He'll be one of several rookies up here that can relate to that struggle, compared to on an island in Charlotte as a top prospect slumping in AAA. Even being sent down again with an MLB to do list would have a sense of progress to it (shouldn't happen really, they should have no shortage of ABs to give after the deadline).

There's just less pressure for his first 100 ABs up here with the other young guys than there would be for his next 100 ABs in Charlotte in a way that I think lets him get back to himself mentally.

Sorry for rambling, but I'm still high on the kid. Hope he crushes it.

Not rambling .What you said is well thought out and would actually take less than 3 minutes if you had a prepared speech or were on a podcast . You know there's a decent amount of women pocadters on barely watched Sox podcasts on YouTube run by  Brett Balantini. Sox Populi I think one of them is called. I'm sure you'd be much more informative than many on the panel. I saw one guy who was either super nervous or just not used to public speaking  who kept repeating " umm" . I felt bad for him. It took him a while to get his thoughts out and he clearly was uncomfortable or socially awkward . 

[WestEddy]

1 hour ago, Lip Man 1 said:

I'll all for them staying in Charlotte. The problem is they never do and make their way back to the big league roster where they can continue to suck. 😉

The whole point of Amaya and Capra was to hold down SS or be a late inning specialist until Colson M. came up. If either made their way back onto the roster in the final two months, I doubt they start in front of Vargas, Meidroth, Monty, Sosa or Baldwin. 

[Lip Man 1]

22 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

The whole point of Amaya and Capra was to hold down SS or be a late inning specialist until Colson M. came up. If either made their way back onto the roster in the final two months, I doubt they start in front of Vargas, Meidroth, Monty, Sosa or Baldwin. 

Never underestimate the stupidity of this organization.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

4 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

It also didn't help the Sox gave them huge contract deals before they really proved anything.

I can't remember the years they all got their extensions but 2019 was regularly regarded as a bouncier ball that traveled farther with many players including Moncada having career year. It's always something odd that throws off Sox plans that looking back you say they should have taken the bouncy ball data a little more seriously. It was like everybody was playing on steroids or in Colorado. I bet the Colorado home stats were outrageously juicy in 2019.

[chitownsportsfan]

26 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Never underestimate the stupidity of this organization.

You will never go broke underestimating the White Sox.

[Tnetennba]

2 hours ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

As someone who watches unreasonable amounts of Sox MiLB and has seen Colson play at every level including AFL, I think this is the right move. 

The spot where they rushed him was from AA to Charlotte. I think playing on that first half Barons team last year for even a month or two would have been better for him, and I'm pretty convinced that he would have been up before now if he did. Championship aside, there was a group of prospects clearly developing winning ways together with no one shouldering the task of needing to be "the guy" every night.

When he went to Charlotte instead, it was a team much more (forgive the pun) barren of that "next core" feeling which I think made him internalize a sense that he needed to hurry up and come be the franchise savior by himself. You're the top bat on the farm, you're bubbling up national lists, things in Chicago are miserable, they need you ASAP. Hitting in Charlotte is easy so this should basically be perfunctory, just rack up some numbers and we'll see you in September!

Then you get a guy who had been breaking records for consecutive games on base swinging like he needed to hit the baseball from Charlotte into Lake Michigan to justify where he was at.

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he finishes the season with an MLB slash better than his Charlotte one. Also wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't. Cags has a 14 WRC+ ~100 ABs in to his first taste of the bigs; PCA (hate him, but he's good) was slashing .188/.238/.271 coming into July last season. 

Would I like to see another couple weeks of great AAA production? Sure, obviously wouldn't hurt. But I think there's something to be gained from getting him up here while he's hot, getting him away from the sense that the next 1-10 stretch puts him another month away with not many months to go, with the ASB not far away if he does need a breather ten days in, and with the post-deadline freedom of a rebuilding team right on the horizon after that.

If he struggles in the bigs, it's a new struggle and one that is basically expected. He'll be one of several rookies up here that can relate to that struggle, compared to on an island in Charlotte as a top prospect slumping in AAA. Even being sent down again with an MLB to do list would have a sense of progress to it (shouldn't happen really, they should have no shortage of ABs to give after the deadline).

There's just less pressure for his first 100 ABs up here with the other young guys than there would be for his next 100 ABs in Charlotte in a way that I think lets him get back to himself mentally.

Sorry for rambling, but I'm still high on the kid. Hope he crushes it.

Appreciate the perspective and really hope you’re right. 

[pcq]

Desperado move. Eloy Yo and Luis are the Three Musketeers. This org is the worst. 

[kitekrazy]

7 hours ago, pcq said:

Desperado move. Eloy Yo and Luis are the Three Musketeers. This org is the worst. 

It bothers me that during the Ricky era they weren't the worse.  

[bobbydanks]

call me whatever but that cool catch will probably stick with me a lot more than anything any else has done this year besides the Meidroth slide 

[Falstaff]

I am digging this daily lineup with Q, Teel, Meidroth, Vargas, adding Baldwin and Montgomery to the mix is even better.

The Sox had their all Rookie up the middle lineup last night.

[Chicago White Sox]

1 hour ago, Falstaff said:

I am digging this daily lineup with Q, Teel, Meidroth, Vargas, adding Baldwin and Montgomery to the mix is even better.

The Sox had their all Rookie up the middle lineup last night.

We should be rocking something like this post deadline IMO:

• 1B: Sosa
• 2B: Meidroth
• SS: Montgomery
• 3B: Vargas
• LF: ???
• CF: Baldwin
• RF: ???
• DH: Quero/Teel
• CA: Teel/Quero

No fucking clue what to do in the OF corners assuming we are able to move all the vets (including Benintendi, which is likely a pipe dream).  Getz’s AAAA acquisitions have all more or less flopped with Fletcher now at a 95 wRC+ and ZeLoach at a 89 while the two athletes haven’t been remotely competent with Baker at a 54 wRC+ and Jones at a 34.  Julks has been productive (127 wRC+) but is 29 and sporting a .371 BABIP, so not overly excited about giving him a ton of playing time.  Honestly, would be a good time to find a post hype OF prospect who is out of options that we can give a two month audition to post deadline.  Getz should be creative here as he doesn’t have a lot of quality assets to flip this deadline and a post hype guy is much more valuable when you have playing time to give them.  Jordan Walker was a guy they liked last deadline and maybe there is a path to get him (yes, I know he has been terrible, but he is still super young).

[caulfield12]

28 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

We should be rocking something like this post deadline IMO:

• 1B: Sosa
• 2B: Meidroth
• SS: Montgomery
• 3B: Vargas
• LF: ???
• CF: Baldwin
• RF: ???
• DH: Quero/Teel
• CA: Teel/Quero

No fucking clue what to do in the OF corners assuming we are able to move all the vets (including Benintendi, which is likely a pipe dream).  Getz’s AAAA acquisitions have all more or less flopped with Fletcher now at a 95 wRC+ and ZeLoach at a 89 while the two athletes haven’t been remotely competent with Baker at a 54 wRC+ and Jones at a 34.  Julks has been productive (127 wRC+) but is 29 and sporting a .371 BABIP, so not overly excited about giving him a ton of playing time.  Honestly, would be a good time to find a post hype OF prospect who is out of options that we can give a two month audition to post deadline.  Getz should be creative here as he doesn’t have a lot of quality assets to flip this deadline and a post hype guy is much more valuable when you have playing time to give them.  Jordan Walker was a guy they liked last deadline and maybe there is a path to get him (yes, I know he has been terrible, but he is still super young).

Thint they might hold Walker for one more shot...like Adell has gotten with the Angels.

The problem is they are in a competitive playoff race in StL and have less patience with Walker continuing to struggle.

Another often-debated former top prospect, Moniak, had an 800 ops coming into yesterday's games for Colorado.

G.Canario with Pitt basically what everyone thought he was....

Edited July 5 by caulfield12

[Chicago White Sox]

14 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Thint they might hold Walker for one more shot...like Adell has gotten with the Angels.

The problem is they are in a competitive playoff race in StL and have less patience with Walker continuing to struggle.

Another often-debated former top prospect, Moniak, had an 800 ops coming into yesterday's games for Colorado.

G.Canario with Pitt basically what everyone thought he was....

Yeah, I feel like it’s going to be hard for the Cardinals to give Walker a bunch more runway with as bad as he’s been and them trying to compete.  Again, the chances of him working out are slim, but Adell is an example (an an extreme one no doubt) of what happens when you give a kid an extended runway to work through their issues.  Outside of Baldwin, there aren’t obvious OF prospects to give at-bas to these last couple and possibly even next year.  I’m very much open to Walker or another post hype guy if we can get one with the scraps we’ll have to offer this deadline.

[Bob Sacamano]

53 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

We should be rocking something like this post deadline IMO:

• 1B: Sosa
• 2B: Meidroth
• SS: Montgomery
• 3B: Vargas
• LF: ???
• CF: Baldwin
• RF: ???
• DH: Quero/Teel
• CA: Teel/Quero

No fucking clue what to do in the OF corners assuming we are able to move all the vets (including Benintendi, which is likely a pipe dream).  Getz’s AAAA acquisitions have all more or less flopped with Fletcher now at a 95 wRC+ and ZeLoach at a 89 while the two athletes haven’t been remotely competent with Baker at a 54 wRC+ and Jones at a 34.  Julks has been productive (127 wRC+) but is 29 and sporting a .371 BABIP, so not overly excited about giving him a ton of playing time.  Honestly, would be a good time to find a post hype OF prospect who is out of options that we can give a two month audition to post deadline.  Getz should be creative here as he doesn’t have a lot of quality assets to flip this deadline and a post hype guy is much more valuable when you have playing time to give them.  Jordan Walker was a guy they liked last deadline and maybe there is a path to get him (yes, I know he has been terrible, but he is still super young).

Benintendi likely in LF, Fletcher/Julks platoon in RF I guess.

[Timmy U]

Yeah, Sox don’t have near-ready OF talent. It’s Braden and Zavala who are both okay to good at A+, but you’re not gonna shoot them up to the majors. Everyone at Birmingham is struggling non-prospect to org guys. Veras is the disappointment there. If Ramos were hitting, you could see trying him out there, but he’s not so you won’t. Good thing I kept my Joshua Palacios jersey.