When it comes to his shortstop future with White Sox, Colson Montgomery has proven doubters wrong

The biggest question about what Colson Montgomery could do at the major league level?

Consider it answered.

“Oftentimes, people point to his height and [wonder], ‘Is he going to be able to stick at shortstop?’” general manager Chris Getz said last week. “I think he’s proven that he can and [that] he can make an impact defensively.

“The way that he leads the entire field – the captain, so to speak, on the infield – he’s got that presence about him. We feel very confident that he’s going to be able to remain at shortstop for a while, and we feel very fortunate to have him at that position.”

There were obviously a lot of questions, as recently as early this season, about Montgomery’s ability to even make the leap to the majors. After a disappointing 2024 campaign with Triple-A Charlotte, he got off to a miserable start there and was sent to Arizona for 1-on-1 work with first-year hitting director Ryan Fuller.

That experiment worked, and Montgomery hit the ground running as a big leaguer, no longer needing to worry about just making it. He put on a late-summer power-hitting display, with 18 homers in a 37-game span.

But the evaluators always had confidence in his bat. It’s the glove they questioned, wondering if someone of his build could stick as a major league shortstop.

The glove, though, has been just as impressive and even more consistent, answering all those questions and proving the doubters wrong.

“It makes me feel good,” Montgomery said in a conversation with the Sun-Times on Sunday. “A lot of people, they doubt you just because of your size, being able to play shortstop. What I always say is: ‘You’ve seen people my size play shortstop, so why can’t I play shortstop?’ I feel like I’m just as athletic or more athletic than most shortstops, even being 6-5.

“I’ve always just believed in myself that I knew I was a shortstop, and I felt that was enough for me. I didn’t think I really needed anyone else’s approval, because I feel like in this game, you can seek people’s approval, [for] if you’re going to be good enough or if you can do stuff. It’s not good.

“I’ve been there before, and I’ve learned that believing in yourself is the best thing.”

That self-belief has been a Montgomery trademark, even as he went through his struggles in the minors, and it’s helped him reach the majors and succeed.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and Montgomery’s heading to the finish line on an extended slump. Since his most recent home run, he’s batting just .174 in his last 14 games.

Ask him about what’s gone right, and you’ll get a big smile. Ask him about what hasn’t, and you’ll get the attitude that comes with a lesson learned.

“Even if I didn’t have any success, I would still be pretty excited for next year,” Montgomery said, “just because you learn a lot through struggles more than successes. All I’m really focused on coming to the end of the season is just staying healthy and learning from experiences and trying to adjust.”

Montgomery’s arrival has been perhaps the most exciting for Sox fans awaiting the fruits of Getz’s rebuilding effort. But he’s been far from the only one to make a rookie-year impact and generate excitement for the future, playing alongside Chase Meidroth, Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero in a budding position-player core.

“Coming down the stretch, you’ve seen how the lineup’s been playing out, and it might be how it will be for a long time,” Montgomery said. “It’s been good, all of us coming up here, growing together, having some good experiences, some bad. With this group of guys, we’re going to keep learning and keep getting better.

“We’ve shown it, too. It gets us more motivated to come into next year and start strong and see where it goes.”