Colson Montgomery is a tall, left-hand hitting and right-hand throwing shortstop from Southridge High School in Huntingburg, Indiana. The six-foot-four 190-pound high school graduate has a slim but athletic frame. His build has allowed him to stay at the shortstop position throughout high school, but many scouts think he may end up moving to third base. Most high school graduates are 18 years of age at the time of the draft, but Montgomery is 19 years old. This can be seen as either good or bad, depending on who is performing the analysis. Professional teams have one less year to mold the young player, but he is also one year more advanced in skill. Colson has committed to play baseball at the University of Indiana if he decides not to turn pro just yet. MLB lists Colson Montgomery as number 25 on its draft board.
Strengths
Colson Montgomery’s swing unloads a lot of power from the left side of the plate at his young age. MLB.com lists his power at 55 out of 80, which is great for a player coming out of high school. To add to the power grade, the scouting report lists Colson’s hitting at 50 out of 80. During the summer circuit in 2020, Montgomery batted to a .310/.459/.655 slash line and has continued to improve his numbers at the plate since that time. In 29 at-bats in 2020, Colson recorded two home runs, two doubles, a triple, nine runs batted in, scored seven runs, and stole two bases. He also walked seven times and had an OPS of 1.115. This is a small sample of the offense that the young shortstop brings to the table.
Batting is not the only strength in Montgomery’s game. Colson has a strong arm that the scouting reports list as 55 out of 80. His arm strength allows him to make great plays on the left side of the infield. Colson is also a solid defender for his age. Scouts rate Montgomery’s fielding as 50 out of 80. Fielding is a rating that often improves with time and effort – especially when considering a player who recently exited high school. Whether Colson decides to play for the Hoosiers in Indiana or for a team that drafts him, his defense should continue to improve.
Weaknesses
Colson Montgomery’s speed seems to be his only weakness. This is the main reason that most scouts project a move to third base for the young shortstop. The scouting reports rate Colson’s speed at 45 out of 80. So he’s not exactly slow, but he’s not fast either. A major league shortstop needs to have the speed to range over to balls that may be far away. This is more so the case in the days of the shift. If Montgomery were to have more speed and quickness, he would likely be ranked higher in the draft. With that said, there is another shortstop who recently had a similar analysis yet continues to play shortstop at the major league level.
MLB Comp
Corey Seager is a six-foot-four shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both Seager and Montgomery are the same height. Seager had a similar weight to Montgomery at the time of his draft. Scouts said that Seager would be moving to third base, yet the two-time all-star is in his seventh big league season and continues to play shortstop. The scouts also say that Colson Montgomery will be moving to third base, but Seager has shown that it’s possible for someone with a tall frame to remain at shortstop.
Range is the main reason that people provide when discussing the potential move for Montgomery to third base. Seager has less range than the league average, but his fielding percentage is on par – even with his large frame. So it is definitely possible for Colson to remain at shortstop, as Seager has shown. Colson Montgomery has a lot of work ahead of him to become a player like Corey Seager, the 2020 World Series MVP, but it will be interesting to see what takes place over the course of his development throughout his career.
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