Does White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery belong in the big leagues? Ask the ball he hit 452 feet

When White Sox manager Will Venable was asked Saturday if he thinks rookie Colson Montgomery belongs in the majors, it was somewhat of a playful question.

After all, Montgomery, 23, has burst onto the scene since his promotion in early July, combining offensive success and eye-popping power with impressive defense. The onetime top-10 prospect, whose star had dipped after 1½ seasons of poor results in Triple-A, has restored the high hopes.

“I feel like he belongs here,” Venable said. “He looks like he belongs here. He thinks he belongs here.”

Talk about hammering home a point.

But all Venable needed to do was wait a day, when Montgomery did all the hammering for him.

The 2021 first-round pick absolutely demolished a pitch 452 feet for the longest home run at Rate Field this season, the ball nearly reaching the right-field concourse. It was the exclamation point in the Sox’ 6-4 victory Sunday over the Guardians.

“That was one of the farthest ones I’ve hit in my career,” Montgomery said, “so I watched it a little bit. I just felt like it was a little motivation and momentum for the guys. I wanted to get the guys fired up.

“I try to not show much emotion, but I was trying to get the guys fired up.”

Mission accomplished.

Second baseman Lenyn Sosa described the blast as “unthinkable.” Starting pitcher Davis Martin called it “beautiful.”

It was the latest act in Montgomery’s impressive rise, something that didn’t look too realistic as he got off to another woeful start in Triple-A this year. He batted only .149 in his first 23 games, spurring the Sox to send him for one-on-one tutoring with hitting director Ryan Fuller in Arizona.

The lessons learned on that trip straightened Montgomery out, and he had a .926 OPS in the next 32 games, enough for the Sox to pull the trigger on a major-league promotion.

Since arriving in the bigs, he has nine homers, 25 RBI, 15 runs scored and an .853 OPS. All nine of his homers and all but two of his RBI have come since the All-Star break.

“I would say I’m pretty comfortable,” Montgomery said. “It’s just everything I do before the game to get myself prepared. . . . My coaches prepare me really well, so when I go out to the game, all I have to do is let my ability take over.”

That success, surprising if you followed his disappointing output in the minors, might have something to do with more than mechanics and swing decisions. Montgomery admitted last year that his 2024 struggles caused frequent frustration, hinting at the emotional and mental effects of the game.

Maybe no longer worrying about reaching the majors has been part of the key to finding success in the majors.

“You get players that get so much prospect attention, they’re at the top of the rankings,” general manager Chris Getz said Friday, “and maintaining that status is a difficult thing. And once you’re knocking on the door and trying to get over the hump and break into the major leagues, there’s an added element of stress that comes with that.

“I do believe that him coming up here has freed him up and allowed him to be the player we knew he could be.”

Montgomery agrees.

“Now I’m just here playing,” Montgomery said. “This is fun. This is why I’m here. This is where I wanted to be, and when I got up here, it’s all that weight lifted off my shoulders.”

Montgomery’s breakout has refueled optimism that he can be a franchise cornerstone as Getz attempts to construct a winner through his rebuilding project.

The offensive firepower and great glove work have, at least temporarily, answered questions about Montgomery’s defensive position.

Right now, he’s a middle-of-the-order major-league shortstop, and that’s where the Sox would like to see him for years to come.