Benny Montgomery had no shortage of interest at the collegiate or major league level. After his senior year at Red Land High School, the Lewisberry, Pennsylvania native committed to the University of Virginia to play under Cavalier’s manager Brian O’Conner. But, the odds of Montgomery fulfilling his commitment are rather low. According to MLB.com, the outfielder is the 16th ranked prospect in this year’s draft, projecting him to be a top 15 pick. The 6’4’’ 200-pound outfielder has true five-tool potential, which might make him one of the first outfielders off the draft board.
Benny Montgomery 2021 Draft Profile
Position: OF
Height: 6’-4”
Weight: 200 pounds
School: Red Land High School (PA)
Montgomery displayed his potential when he batted .359 with six extra-base hits. He even had more walks (nine) than strikeouts (eight), and he stole 14 bases. The 18-year old did not play for his high school team during his junior season due to COVID-19. Despite this, Montgomery continued to impress scouts as he won the Perfect Game Home Run Derby, highlighting his unique power and speed combination.
Strengths
The greatest fascination with Montgomery is his exceptional defense and speed tools, along with the emerging power tool. In addition to the blazing speed, Montgomery’s defense also has elite potential with a 97 mph outfield throw, which is 17 miles per hour faster than average. These tools make Montgomery a relatively “high floor” high school prospect since speed and defense are typically the easiest to translate to professional baseball.
Montgomery flashed raw power during his high school years, hitting two home runs in 27 games as a sophomore. In addition, Montgomery posted a 103 mile per hour exit velocity and an 84.8 mph barrel speed. Both of these are above the 99.9 percentile. This illustrates that Montgomery might not only possess “gap to gap” power but a “25 home run” upside.
‘21 OF Benny Montgomery has made a loud impression this weekend. 97 from the OF, ran a 6.48 60 at 6-4/200, also smoked a triple on a line over CF’s head (video). Loud tools and athleticism, big follow name for 2021 #MLBDraft. Virginia commit. #PGMainEvent pic.twitter.com/qmmGNFG33I
— Perfect Game USA (@PerfectGameUSA) December 29, 2019
Weaknesses
There are legitimate questions about Montgomery’s hit tool. Many scouts refer to his swing as “lacking fluidity” due to his flat bat path and rigidity. This has brought up questions regarding Montgomery’s ability to make contact at higher levels of competition, especially as he faces more off-speed pitches. But, Montgomery has been working to improve upon this notion and his swing.
OF Benny Montgomery fought skeptics this Summer who viewed the hitch in his swing as a major red flag/detractor. Folks questioned the future hit tool.
That said, the swing is really coming along. Looks great. Bring this to the field in the Spring, good shot he’s a first rounder. pic.twitter.com/Ls8u3G6Ca1
— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) December 16, 2020
Since he possesses exceptional potential, he is incredibly raw. It’s nothing unusual for an 18-year old, but he most likely requires three to five seasons to develop in the minors. He has flashed the power tool in a home run derby environment, but it will be interesting to see if this can translate on the baseball field. More than anything, Montgomery is too young of a prospect to see whether his on-field production will match his five-tool potential.
MLB Comparison
While the positional fit is not a match, Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals seems like a fitting comparison. Both players have excellent frames and are elite in the speed department. Turner has stolen 184 bases in his career, including 46 in 2017, which could be an apt comparison for Montgomery. Not only do they match in terms of speed, but Turner has also been a legitimate home-run threat in the major leagues. This is a realistic ceiling for Montgomery. Another potential comparison, which would be more of a stretch for Montgomery, could be Ronald Acuna Jr. Still, Montgomery is too raw of a prospect to draw that comparison at this point.
No matter the draft slot or team, a slow and steady development for Benny Montgomery would be ideal, allowing him to potentially be an elite top of the order threat with gold glove caliber defense.
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